Transit Infrastructure
Transit Infrastructure
Evolving our streets to make the transit experience safer, more efficient, and more comfortable.
Getting to and from transit
Prioritizing safety and accessibility upgrades for people to reach their stop and their final destination.
Transit is a vital part of Chicago’s active transportation network. Through strong agency partnerships, CDOT provides on-street infrastructure to boost efficiency for Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and Pace buses, and to improve access to transit stops for people walking and biking. Initiatives range in scale, including the creation on-street Bus Priority Zones, corridor innovations for shared bike and bus travel, and construction and overhaul of elevated stations.
Types of Transit Infrastucture
Learn more about the types of transit infrastructure CDOT is installing around the City to improve the transit experience.
Ongoing Initiatives
Bus Priority Corridor Study
CDOT and CTA are partnering on a Bus Priority Corridor Study for five high-ridership bus routes. The study will recommend design concepts for each corridor to boost travel efficiency and the transit experience. All recommendations will undergo robust public engagement, and will be ready for Phase 1 design. The selected corridors are:
- Pulaski: between Peterson Avenue and 87th Street
- Western: between Howard Street and 79th Street
- Cottage Grove: between 35th Street and 115th Street
- 55th/Garfield: between S Hyde Park Avenue and Cicero Avenue
- Fullerton: between Halsted Street and Grand/Nordica Avenue
Bus Priority Zones
CTA's Bus Priority Zone initiative seeks to address known pinch points and slow zones along highly traveled bus routes. Street treatments in the Bus Priority Zone toolkit will be applied to these routes and locations to address challenges and improve service. The effort is focused on the following routes:
- 79th Street
- 63rd Street
- Ashland Avenue
- Halsted Street
- Chicago Avenue
- Belmont Avenue
Emerging Technologies
CDOT and CTA are investing in emerging traffic management technologies that optimize bus movements.
Transit Signal Prioritization systems receive wireless signals from buses when they run behind schedule. The system may extend a green phase at a traffic light to let the bus proceed and get back on schedule.
Signal timing optimization helps ensure that streets with major bus routes get the appropriate timing at traffic signal and keep traffic flowing. This helps to maintain travel time on key transitways at peak hours.
Protected bike lanes and transit improvements have been installed as part of the first phase of this CDOT Streetscape project.