The Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) for northeastern Illinois includes projects in all of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties, and a portion of Grundy County.
The TIP tracks the use of local, state, and federal transportation funds, facilitating a discussion about regional transportation needs. The program helps transportation professionals, service implementers, and planning organizations establish a short-term transportation program to reflect the long-range transportation goals identified in the 2030 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP). For engineering consultants, real estate professionals, environmental groups, advocacy organizations, and residents in general, the TIP provides key information on transportation development across the region.
Scroll down this page to read more about the program, or browse an up-to-date repository of TIP-related materials. You may also download the FY 2007-2012 Transportation Improvement Program brochure (1.5MB PDF). It is a six-year agenda of surface transportation projects, providing specific descriptions of each project alongside funding and operation details. Federal rules govern the development, review, and implementation of the TIP, requiring that it include all projects that anticipate federal funding along with any other “regionally significant” projects that will not receive federal funding. “Regionally significant” programs are usually county-based, and funded by State of Illinois funds or local taxes.
The TIP helps MPO members, other transportation implementers, and planning organizations in establishing a transportation program that reflects the goals of the 2030 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), the region's long range transportation plan. The projects in the TIP are based the ongoing evaluation of the regional transportation system by the agencies responsible for it, including the Illinois Department of Transportation, the City of Chicago, and the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority. In fact, the majority of TIP projects are some form of system maintenance.
TIP projects are essential in creating and maintaining a prioritized, fiscally constrained capital improvement program for the northeastern Illinois region. They can be anything from storm sewer repairs in Metra parking lots to CTA extensions, but they usually fall under one or more of the following categories:
- Arterial Collector (Expressway and Highway)
- Bicycle and Pedestrian
- Bridge
- Bus
- Freight
- Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS)
- Rail
- Tollway
TIP projects are always described by one or more investment origin code (IOC). These IOCs are one way to reflect the characteristics of TIP projects, and a hierarchical list follows:
- Expansion. These projects add capacity to the highway and transit systems. They include projects constructing entirely new facilities as well as those that expand existing facilities. Examples of work types included in this IOC are new bridges, new rail stations and/or commuter parking facilities, new roads or extensions of existing roads, add-lanes projects, HOV lanes, interchange expansions, transit rolling stock fleet expansions, new rail lines or extensions, bus route expansions, new transfer facilities, new multi-modal centers and transit storage and maintenance facilities.
- Improvement. Projects include those to repair deficiencies caused by regular use, those that provide marginal capacity increases through changes resulting in greater efficiency of the existing facility, and those designed primarily to improve the safety of the system. Roadway resurfacing, rehabilitation of transit rolling stock, commuter station improvements, traffic signal synchronization projects, railroad crossing improvements, skidproofing and signing are among the more than fifty types included in this IOC.
- Miscellaneous. These projects, although integral to the maintenance and operation of the transportation system as a whole, do not fit neatly into any of the other three categories. Examples of this type of work are landscaping, transit support facilities and equipment and historic preservation projects.
- Bicycle and Pedestrian. These projects consist entirely of expanding or improving the region’s bicycle and pedestrian environment. Examples of the work types included in this category are sidewalks, bicycle paths, bicycle lane striping and bicycle racks and lockers. Additional bicycle and pedestrian facility improvements may be included as part of more complex projects in other categories.
The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) is seeking public comments on a proposed amendment to the FY 2007-2012 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and the 2030 Regional Transportation Plan Update and the accompanying conformity determination. A 30-day public review and comment period will be held from Friday, April 25, 2008 through Saturday May 24, 2008.
The proposed amendment is to several projects:
119th Avenue add-lanes (Kedzie Avenue to Western Avenue), TIP ID 06-00-0016 – add-lanes work type deleted.
Naperville Park-N-Ride (91st Street to 250th Avenue), TIP ID 08-06-0018 – Deleted Project.
I-55 Additional Lanes from New River Road to Coal City Road, TIP ID 12-07-0020 – New Project
Revised completion years for the following projects:
IL53 add-lanes (IL64 to IL56), TIP ID 08-00-0008: 2013.
Eola Road add-lanes (Montgomery Road to 87th Street), TIP ID 08-00-0020: 2011.
Fabyan Parkway extension (Main Street to Bliss Road), TIP ID 09-00-0033: 2012.
Anderson Road extension (IL38 to Keslinger Road), TIP ID 09-00-0035: 2012.
Indian Trail reconstruction (Mitchell Road to Farnsworth Avenue), TIP ID 09-06-0014: 2012.
Cross and Joy Street reconstruction (IL47 to Joy Street), TIP ID 09-06-0017: 2010.
Orchard Road add-lanes (Jericho Road to Montgomery Road), TIP ID 09-95-0011: 2013.
Kirk Road reconstruction (at IL38), TIP ID 09-95-0019: 2008.
Kirk Road reconstruction (at IL56), TIP ID 09-95-0020: 2008.
Bolz Road extension (Huntley Road to IL62), TIP ID 09-96-0017: 2012.
Stearns road extension (Randall Road to Dunham Road), TIP ID 09-96-0018: 2011.
IL43 signal timing (Half Day Road to Deerfield Road), TIP ID 10-06-0004: 2009.
Randall Road add-lanes (McHenry Avenue to County Line Road), TIP ID 11-03-0018: 2017.
The proposed 2030 Regional Transportation Plan Update is to extend the planned six-lane cross-section on I-55 south from its current planned terminus at a relocated Arsenal Road interchange south to Coal City Road, including the I-55 project above.
Details of the proposed amendments and conformity determination are available by clicking on the respective links. A printed copy may be obtained by calling TIP staff at 312/454-0400.
The FY 2007-2012 TIP is the region’s agenda of surface transportation projects for which federal money is sought and regionally significant non-federally funded projects planned for implementation in the next four years. The TIP is a tool for multi-jurisdictional communication and public information. It helps both the transportation community and the general public track the use of local, state and federal transportation dollars. The TIP assists in establishing a transportation program that reflects the goals of the 2030 Regional Transportation Plan.
Written comments on the proposed amendment may be mailed, faxed, e-mailed or delivered to CMAP at the address below. Please include the phrase “FY 07-12 TIP and 2030 Plan Update Comments” in the subject area when commenting via e-mail. The public review and comment period will continue through May 24, 2008.
Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning
Attn: FY 07-12 TIP and 2030 Plan Update Comments
233 South Wacker Drive, Suite 800
Chicago, IL 60606
Phone: 312/454-0400 FAX: 312/454-0411
E-mail: TIP@cmap.illinois.gov