CHICAGO – Today Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot and the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) released the Year 1 Update to the City of Chicago’s Strategic Plan for Transportation – a comprehensive three-year framework to develop a safer, more equitable, and more sustainable transportation system that delivers for Chicago. The Year 1 Update document outlines progress and highlights from the first year of the plan’s implementation, which aims to build safer streets; reprioritize transportation projects to increase access to opportunities for residents in historically underinvested neighborhoods; work with local and regional transit agencies to expand public transportation access; and expand bike share, bike lanes and dedicated bus lanes citywide. 

You can read the Year 1 Update and the full Strategic Plan for Transportation here: https://www.chicago.gov/cdotstrategicplan

“The Strategic Plan for Transportation serves as a critical guide as we continue our journey towards creating a more equitable, sustainable and prosperous city,” said Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot. “This plan emphasizes the City and CDOT’s commitment to providing quality transportation for all of our residents by prioritizing critical transportation infrastructure, safer streets and equitable access to transit and biking."

“Since its implementation last year, our Strategic Plan for Transportation has served as a roadmap for our department’s investments and priorities – from rapidly expanding and improving our bike network and incorporating complete streets designs into our Arterial Resurfacing program, to more equitably investing in historically underserved communities and increasing meaningful community engagement,” said CDOT Commissioner Gia Biagi. “This report outlines just a portion of the critical work CDOT employees and partners have been engaged in over the past year, and we look forward to achieving even more in the coming years.”  

The Year 1 Update reports on the progress CDOT is making on the four key pillars of its Strategic Plan, which include:  

Access to Opportunity: 

• Make it safer and easier to walk in Chicago  
• Partner with CTA to reduce commute times and improve the transit experience for all Chicagoans  
• Make cycling a safe, affordable transportation option for more Chicagoans  
• Reduce congestion on Chicago’s streets  
• Make efficient use of Chicago’s curb space  

Aligning Our Streets with Our Values: 

• Adopt decision-making frameworks that prioritize equitable outcomes  
• Use CDOT infrastructure to improve the quality of Chicago’s air and water  
• Bring CDOT’s infrastructure into a state of good repair  
• Mitigate community impacts of movement of freight through Chicago by improving safety and efficiency  
• Improve the efficiency of and modernize local street funding  
• Increase CDOT’s flexibility in spending transportation funds  

Streets Free from Violence: 

• Reduce dangerous driving on Chicago's streets  
• Elevate Vision Zero in Chicago  
• Expand CDOT’s role in making Chicago’s streets safer and more vibrant  
• Make Chicago’s streets more responsive to community needs  

A CDOT That Works: 

• Improve relationships with communities and be more responsive to local needs  
• Improve CDOT’s ability to recruit and retain staff  
• Make CDOT a great place to work  
• Deepen our relationships with partner agencies  
• Improve CDOT processes to maximize impact and efficiency  
• Prioritize workplace safety and staff support  

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