News Updates

Five communities complete plans for more accessible streets and sidewalks

Communities across northeastern Illinois are taking important steps to make sidewalks, crossings, and other public spaces safer and more accessible for people of all abilities.

With technical assistance from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), Glen Ellyn, Libertyville, Warrenville, and Woodstock recently completed Americans with Disabilities Act public right-of-way self-evaluations and transition plans. The plans identify barriers within each community’s pedestrian infrastructure and provide practical roadmaps for addressing them over time.

What is an ADA public right-of-way self-evaluation and transition plan?

Through its Technical Assistance Program, CMAP helps local governments comply with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act by identifying barriers specifically related to pedestrian infrastructure.

A public right-of-way self-evaluation documents barriers that may limit access for people with disabilities. A transition plan then establishes how the community will address them over time, including priorities, estimated costs, schedules, and responsible officials.

The process may include evaluations of sidewalks, curb ramps, crossings, municipal policies, and public services, along with input from residents and community partners. The resulting plan helps communities coordinate accessibility improvements with road, sidewalk, utility, and development projects; direct resources toward the most significant needs; and track progress over time.

Elgin

Elgin adopted its first self-evaluation and transition plan for streets and sidewalks on April 22, 2026. Developed with CMAP support, the Plan for Accessible Streets and Sidewalks identifies barriers affecting sidewalks, curb ramps, driveways, pedestrian signals, crossings, and on-street parking and establishes priorities for city-managed streets over the next 10 to 20 years. Public input highlighted concerns about uneven or missing sidewalks, difficult crossings, inaccessible pedestrian push buttons, connections to destinations such as bus stops and schools, and routes blocked by snow and ice.

The technical assessment included more than 11,000 curb ramps. It found that more than 2,800 likely require reconstruction and identified 24 locations where ramps are missing. The plan estimates that reconstructing those ramps and filling the gaps would cost approximately $14 million, with another $1.5 million potentially needed to repair other ramps and make them fully accessible.

Public feedback helped identify priority areas across the city. Downtown Elgin ranked highest east of the Fox River, while Larkin Avenue from McLean Boulevard to Randall Road and McLean Boulevard from Larkin Avenue to Spartan Drive were the leading priorities in northwest and southwest Elgin. The plan recommends advancing projects in phases, coordinating accessibility upgrades with street resurfacing and other capital work, and establishing a $500,000 annual implementation goal for priority routes.

Glen Ellyn

The Glen Ellyn Village Board adopted its ADA Transition Plan for Public Right-of-Way following more than a year of infrastructure evaluation and public engagement. 

The project team used LiDAR technology to evaluate sidewalk squares and curb ramps and examined pedestrian signals and accessible on-street parking. The plan identifies barriers such as uneven pavement, excessive slopes, obstructions, and deteriorated infrastructure. Community meetings, a survey, an interactive map, stakeholder interviews, steering committee discussions, and a formal public comment period helped inform the priorities.

The plan estimates approximately $25 million in long-term pedestrian improvements and recommends a 25-year implementation timeline. Glen Ellyn expects to advance much of the work through existing roadway, sidewalk repair, maintenance, and other capital improvement programs.

Libertyville

Libertyville’s plan establishes a system for evaluating and prioritizing barriers based on their type and severity, proximity to destinations that generate pedestrian activity, and community demographics.

The plan estimates about $1.06 million to address the highest-priority barriers evaluated — approximately $146,000 for sidewalks and $911,000 for unsignalized intersections and driveways.

Libertyville already incorporates accessibility improvements into its annual road rehabilitation, mud-jacking, and sidewalk replacement programs, as well as other capital projects and private redevelopment. Those programs currently direct approximately $280,000 annually toward ADA-related improvements, subject to the Village’s annual budget process.

Warrenville

Warrenville’s City Council adopted its plan after a process that included a community survey, an online mapping tool, a steering committee, seven interviews, and three public engagement events. Participants identified concerns around Batavia Road and Virginia Avenue, as well as challenges related to street lighting, busy crossings, maintenance transitions between jurisdictions, and pedestrian access during community events. 

The technical assessment evaluated approximately 60 miles of sidewalk corridors and 374 unsignalized intersections and driveways. About 2.2 miles of sidewalk and 203 intersections or driveways were assigned a high-priority rating. 

The plan estimates approximately $5.7 million to address the barriers identified on facilities maintained by the city, including about $2.4 million for high-priority improvements. Warrenville will use the plan during its annual budgeting process and coordinate improvements with road projects, trip-hazard removal, private development, and grant opportunities. 

Woodstock

Woodstock adopted its Plan for Accessible Streets and Sidewalks after a self-evaluation examined 118.1 miles of sidewalk, 1,850 curb ramps, 58 stairways or missing ramps, 66 protruding objects, and four traffic-signal or flashing-beacon locations.

“Our partnership with CMAP was instrumental in helping us develop a self-evaluation and transition plan, both critical steps toward making our streets more accessible, safe, and inclusive for all residents, particularly those with disabilities.”

— Barb Szul, grant writer, City of Woodstock 

The plan estimates approximately $12 million would be needed to address all identified accessibility barriers on city-managed streets at one point in time. Recognizing that infrastructure will continue to age, Woodstock instead identified 11 priority projects to guide investments over the next 10 to 20 years.

Five first-tier projects — with a combined estimated cost of $700,000 — include improved access between South Street and Emricson Park, upgrades around the Woodstock Square, and improvements along Greenwood Avenue, Jackson Street, and Calhoun Street. The plan recommends beginning these projects within five to seven years and establishing a $75,000 annual implementation goal for priority routes.

CMAP’s accessibility work continues across the region

CMAP continues to assist Waukegan, South Elgin, Lynwood, and Channahon with accessible community plans.

Five more communities were selected for ADA public right-of-way self-evaluation and transition plan assistance through CMAP’s 2026 call for projects: 

• Bannockburn  
• Berkeley  
• East Dundee  
• Franklin Park  
• Monee  

Together, these completed, ongoing, and newly awarded projects represent steady progress toward a region where people of all ages and abilities can travel safely, independently, and conveniently.