Explore the Projects

Regional Capital Projects (RCPs) are major transportation investments that warrant visibility through the region’s long-range planning process because of their scale, cost, or effect on the transportation system. To identify these impactful projects, CMAP uses defined criteria to determine which major investments should be considered RCPs.

For the 2026 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), CMAP expanded the definition in response to feedback from regional and federal partners. The broader RCP definition allows the RTP to consider a greater range of transportation investments and provide a more complete picture of major projects anticipated across northeastern Illinois through 2050.

Regional Capital Projects included in the financial plan

The 2026 RTP financial plan identifies the RCPs that can be accommodated within the region’s forecast revenues through 2050. For easier browsing, projects are organized by transportation type.

Examples include major reconstruction, capacity, interchange, and access improvements along I-90/I-94, I-290, I-55, I-80, I-294, I-355, and other parts of the interstate system.

Elgin O’Hare Western Access (I-490)
I-190 O’Hare Access Roads from Bessie Coleman Drive to Cumberland Avenue
I-290 Eisenhower Expressway from US 12/45/20 (Mannheim Road) to Racine Avenue
I-290/I-88/I-294 Interchange Improvement
I-290/IL 53/I-90 Interchange Improvement
I-290/IL-53 Reconstruction (Lake Cook Road to I-88)
I-294 Central Tri-State Mobility Improvements
I-355 at I-290 Interchange Project – Bridge Replacements
I-55 at IL 129, IL 129 to Lorenzo Road, I-55 Frontage Roads: Kavanaugh Road to Lorenzo Road and at Lorenzo Road
I-55 from I-355 to IL 53 (Bolingbrook Drive)
I-55 from I-80 to Coal City Road
I-55 from I-80 to US 52 (Jefferson Street); US 52 from River Road to Houbolt Road
I-55 from Weber Road to US 30, at Airport/Lockport Road and at IL 126
I-57 Interchange at Eagle Lake Rd
I-80 from I-294 (Tri-State Tollway) to State Line (Flex Road – ITS)
I-80 Reconstruction from Ridge Road to US 30 Lincoln Highway
I-88 York Road Interchange Expansion
I-90/I-94 Kennedy and Dan Ryan Expressway Reconstruction (Hubbard Street to 31st Street)
IL 390 Interchange at County Farm Road
South Tri-State (I-294/80) Bridging Investment

These projects include improvements to major state and county corridors, intersections, bridges, and other arterial facilities throughout northeastern Illinois.

79th/Stony Island/South Chicago Intersection Improvements
143rd Street (CH 37) from State Street (Lemont Road) to Bell Road (CH 16)
143rd Street from Will-Cook Road to IL 7 (Wolf Road)
143rd Street from Wolf Road to US 45 (La Grange Road) 
Barrington Road from IL 62 to Central Road
Bell Road Corridor from 159th Street to Glengary Drive
Calumet River Bridges
Devon-Caldwell-Central-Lehigh Intersection Improvements
Elston-Armitage-Ashland-Cortland Intersection Improvement
Gougar Road from Laraway Road to Francis Road
IL 120 (Belvidere Road) from Ashford Lane to US 45
IL 131 (Green Bay Road) from Sunset Avenue to Wadsworth Road
IL 137 (Buckley Road) from IL 83 to Petersen Road
IL 173 Rosecrans Rd from I-94 to US 41
IL 22 (Lake Zurich Road) from Quentin Road to west of IL 83
IL 31 Front Street from IL 120 Belvidere Road to IL 176 (Terra Cotta Ave)
IL 47 from Conley Road to Ballard Road
IL 47 from Cross Street to Kennedy Road (FAU 3793)
IL 47 from IL 120 to US 14
IL 47 from IL 176 to IL 176
IL 47 from IL 71 (Stagecoach Trail) to Caton Farm Road (CH 23)
IL 53 from south of IL 56 (Butterfield Road) to Park Boulevard
IL 56 (Butterfield Road) from IL 53 to I-355
IL 60/IL 83 from IL 176 to IL 60 (Townline Road)
IL 62 (Algonquin Road) from IL 25 (JF Kennedy Memorial Drive) to IL 68 (Dundee Road)
IL 7/143rd from Will-Cook Road to IL 7/Southwest Highway
IL 83 (Barron Boulevard), IL 120 (Belvidere Road) to IL 137 and at Atkinson Road
Laraway Road (CH 74) from US 45 to IL 43 (Harlem Avenue)
Laraway Road (CH 74) from US 52 to US 45
North DuSable Lake Shore Drive Improvements
Randall Road at I-90
Randall Road from Ackman Road to Polaris Drive/Acorn Lane
Randall Road from north of Stearns Road to south of Longmeadow Parkway
Randall Road Grade Separation and Intersection Safety Improvements at Hopps Road
US 20 (Lake Street) from Randall Road to Shales Parkway
US 30 from IL 47 to Albright Road
US 41 (Skokie Highway) from Quassey Avenue to south of IL 176
US 45 (Lake Avenue) from Rollins Road to Washington St and from Washington St to north of IL 120
US 6 from I-55 to US 52
Weber Road (CH 88) from 135th Street (Romeo Road) to Airport Road (Lockport Road)
Willow Road from east of Des Plaines River to Waterview Drive/ Protection Parkway
Willow Road from east of I-294 to east of IL 43
Wilmington-Peotone Road from US 45 to Center Road

Projects include modernization, reconstruction, extensions, and new stations on the CTA rail system.

Blue Line Forest Park Branch Track and Station Reconstruction
Brown Line Modernization Program
Green Line Modernization Program
New Division Station on CTA Brown/Purple Line
New Madison Station on CTA Pink Line
Red and Purple Modernization (RPM) Next Phases
Red Line Extension (US 12/20/95th Street to 130th Street)
State/Lake Station – Loop El

These investments include improvements to Metra lines, new and improved stations, service extensions, and projects that address important passenger and freight rail connections.

75th Street Corridor Improvement Project (CIP)
A2 Crossing Modernization
Ashland-Ogden-Kinzie (AOK) New Metra Station
Auburn Park New Station
Burlington Northern Santa Fe Line Improvements
Metra Electric Line Improvements
Milwaukee District West Extension to Huntley and Marengo
Milwaukee District West Line Improvements
O’Hare Express and North Central Service Line Improvements
Rock Island Improvements
Southwest Service Line Improvements
Union Pacific North Line Improvements
Union Pacific Northwest Line Improvements and Extension

Projects include bus rapid transit, priority corridors, Pace Pulse routes, express bus infrastructure, and other investments designed to improve bus speed, reliability, and access.

Ashland Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)
Bus Priority Corridor: Cottage Grove Avenue
Bus Priority Corridor: Fullerton Avenue
Bus Priority Corridor: Garfield Boulevard
Bus Priority Corridor: Pulaski Road
Bus Priority Corridor: Western Avenue
I-294 Tri-State Express Bus Stations
IL 58/Golf Road from Meacham Road to Davis Street Pulse Golf Line
Pulse 95th Street
Pulse Cermak Road
Pulse Halsted Street
Pulse Harlem Avenue
Pulse North Avenue
Pulse South Halsted Street Extension
Pulse Touhy Avenue
Pulse Western Avenue
South Lakefront Busway

Other identified projects

Not every project considered during RTP development could be accommodated within forecast revenues. Projects that were evaluated and could not be fiscally constrained are listed in the financial plan under the unconstrained projects list. The Regional Capital Projects Benefits Report also lists visionary projects that are too early in development for full evaluation.

View fiscally constrained Regional Capital Projects View fiscally unconstrained Regional Capital Projects View pending visionary Regional Capital Projects

Explore the Regional Capital Projects

Use the interactive map to explore major transportation investments across northeastern Illinois, including roadway, rail, and bus projects. Select a project to learn more about its location, sponsor, project type, and other available information.

Map of Regional Capital Projects

Locations of the 136 Regional Capital Projects across northeastern Illinois

Key

Interstate add lanes
New interchange or ramp
Interchange improvement
Interstate or bridge reconstruction
Arterial add lanes
Intersection or corridor improvement
New arterial or interstate
Transit modernization
Bus rapid transit or bus priority corridor
Transit capacity increase
New transit line or extension
New station or station improvement

Source

CMAP

Explore the Regional Capital Projects

How projects qualified

A project is identified as a Regional Capital Project by meeting at least one of three sets of criteria:

Capacity projects

A project that make significant changes to the capacity of facilities serving regional transportation needs. This includes projects that:

Add or extend lanes on the regional transportation system or on roadways intended to become part of that system
Build new roadways intended to become part of the regional transportation system
Reduce or remove lanes along qualifying high-volume regional roadways
Add new direct connections or expand existing connections, such as interchanges
Add or extend fixed-guideway transit infrastructure, including qualifying bus rapid transit projects
Add new fixed-guideway transit stations, including infill stations
Add multiple traffic signals along a regional corridor when the project costs at least $20 million

Minimum length and other requirements apply to certain roadway and transit capacity projects.

Financially significant projects

A project that does not qualify as a capacity project but its total estimated cost exceeds $250 million in 2025 dollars. CMAP considers the cost of the entire project when applying this threshold. Including these major investments helps the region account for projects that could have significant financial implications even when they do not add transportation capacity.

A project that an implementing transportation agency or CMAP nominates even when it does not meet the capacity or financial thresholds above. This pathway allows the regional planning process to consider other projects that may have substantial importance to northeastern Illinois but are not otherwise captured by specific criteria.

“The steel for bridges, the cement for roads — it all comes through here.”

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Identifying and evaluating projects

CMAP worked with transportation agencies throughout the region to identify potential RCPs. In spring 2025, partner agencies submitted both projects carried forward from ON TO 2050 and new projects for consideration. CMAP also reviewed projects in the Transportation Improvement Program and coordinated with implementing agencies to identify additional projects that met the expanded RCP definition.

That process identified 136 potential RCPs representing more than $80 billion in estimated costs in 2025 dollars. Of those, 73 had previously been included as regionally significant projects in ON TO 2050. Twenty-six projects already had committed funding and therefore did not require additional evaluation for fiscal constraint. The remaining 110 candidates were evaluated across 11 performance categories to help CMAP and its partners understand project needs, benefits, impacts, and costs.

The evaluation considered existing transportation needs including asset condition, safety, reliability, freight use, and connections with economically disconnected areas. CMAP also examined potential future impacts on roadway and transit mobility, emissions, support for infill development, and project costs. The results helped inform recommendations about which projects could be accommodated within the region’s forecast transportation revenues.

Read the Regional Capital Projects Benefits Report

Collage of various modes of transportation and regional environments from across northeastern Illinois

Priority investments

The 2026 RTP elevates a list of priority investments, which includes 15 projects and programs that are expected to make the greatest impact in fulfilling regional transportation goals. Advancing these priorities is integral to RTP implementation and will require sustained collaboration, focus, and resources.

Priority investments in the 2026 RTP include:

Advancing regional rail
Chicago Hub Improvement Program
Connect 290 Blue
Connected sidewalks, bikeways, and micromobility infrastructure
CREATE 75th Street Corridor Improvement Project
Faster, more reliable buses
I-55 improvements
I-90/I-94 reconstruction (Hubbard Street to 31st Street)
North DuSable Lake Shore Drive improvements
Randall Road improvements
Red and Purple Modernization next phases
Regional Intelligent Transportation
Systems/transportation management center
Transit station accessibility
Transportation decarbonization
US 45 – Rollins Road to IL 120

Explore the RTP

Read the RTP

Download the executive summary Download the full plan

Regional Transportation Plan: Explore the Projects