CDOT Strategic Plan
The Chicago Department of Transportation has released a Strategic Plan for Transportation, the nation’s first urban transportation plan developed in the wake of the pandemic, economic, and racial justice crises of 2020. This is an organizational strategic plan with the participation of CDOT staff at all levels and from all divisions, sister agencies, and departments. The Transportation Equity Network (TEN), a coalition of community groups and civic organizations who advocate to embed racial equity and mobility justice in transportation decision-making and investments, partnered with the City to ensure that the Strategic Plan for Transportation and was centered around the lived experience of Chicagoans and addressed long-standing issues related to equity in the transportation system.
The four key pillars of this plan are: Access to Opportunity, Aligning Our Streets with Our Values, Streets Free from Violence, and A CDOT That Works. These pillars provide a framework in which 21 goals, 84 strategies, and hundreds of benchmarks are laid out in one- and three-year increments to chart a course toward building safer streets; reprioritizing transportation projects to increase access to opportunities for residents in historically neglected neighborhoods; working with CTA and regional transit agencies to expand public transportation access; creating safer streets and crosswalks to encourage walking; and expanding bike share, bike lanes, and dedicated bus lanes citywide. It also includes six Equity Challenges* posed by the Transportation Equity Network with the goals and strategies that CDOT has committed to in order to meet these challenges.
* A note on the Equity Challenges: The Transportation Equity Network issued challenges to CDOT as we implement this plan. We refer to these as the Equity Challenges – a call to our staff and leadership to rally resources and focus to address inequities as described by the Transportation Equity Network.
Download the Strategic Plan for Transportation
Strategic Plan for Transportation: Year 1 Update
As soon as the Strategic Plan for Transportation was complete in June 2021, CDOT focused on achieving the goals of the Plan. 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 underserved neighborhoods; work with local and regional transit agencies to expand public transportation access and create safer streets and crosswalks; and expand bike share, bike lanes and dedicated bus lanes citywide.