Board & Committees: Unified Work Program Committee

The UWP Committee develops a program of transportation planning projects for recommendation to the MPO Policy Committee and the CMAP Board.

The Unified Work Program (UWP) contains the planning projects the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) and other agencies undertake each year to enhance transportation in northeastern Illinois and fulfill federal planning regulations. The UWP document includes transportation planning activities to be carried out in the region, detailing each project’s description, products, costs, and sources of funding.

The UWP Committee develops a program of transportation planning projects for recommendation to the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Policy Committee. Member agencies of the UWP Committee traditionally receive UWP funding, but any other MPO Policy Committee agencies can submit proposals or sponsor submissions from other entities.

UWP program development

The UWP has two components. The annual core planning activities necessary to meet federal metropolitan planning requirements and a multiyear competitive program of subregional and project-specific studies that support the region’s long-range plan, ON TO 2050, state transportation plans, and federal planning priorities.

The UWP follows the State of Illinois fiscal year (July 1-June 30). It is developed in accordance with UWP development methodology approved annually by the UWP Committee. Eligible agencies develop core activity budgets and competitive project proposals and submit them for review in accordance with the methodology.

Annually, the UWP Committee prepares a draft program of all the funded UWP projects and submits it to the Transportation Committee for consideration. Following their review, the draft program is sent to the MPO Policy Committee for approval. Concurrently, the UWP is incorporated into the annual budget and work program approved by the CMAP Board. 

FY 2026 UWP

The Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration provide federal planning funds for the UWP. The FY 2026 UWP awarded over $34.3 million, with $27.5 million in funding for CMAP and $6.8 million in grants provided to UWP partner agencies (Chicago Department of Transportation, McHenry County, Council of Mayors Planning Liaisons, Chicago Transit Authority, Metra, and Pace).

FY 2027 UWP

On March 12, the MPO Policy Committee approved the FY 2027 Unified Work Program allocating nearly $35 million for transportation planning activities, including $28 million in federal metropolitan planning funds and $7 million in state and federal matching funds.

Eighty-one percent of this funding is allocated to CMAP to complete core metropolitan planning work, with the balance of funding allocated to UWP partner agencies (the Chicago Department of Transportation, councils of mayors, the Chicago Transit Authority, Metra, Pace, and the Regional Transportation Authority) for core and supporting activities. 

Members

• FY 27 UWP budget and work plan
• FY 26 UWP budget and work plan
• FY 25 UWP budget and work plan
• FY 24 UWP budget and work plan
• FY 23 UWP budget and work plan
• FY 22 UWP budget and work plan
• FY 21 UWP budget and work plan
• FY 20 UWP budget and work plan
• UWP development methodology