ChiTown Traffic Tattler

Via The Chicago Tribune’s Jon Hilkevitch: While not opposed to collecting data on the number accidents involving bicycles and vehicles that aren’t moving, Illinois Department of Transportation Officials haven’t received many requests to do so, according to a spokesman. Kim Nishimoto, whose son was killed in a dooring accident, said she thinks IDOT’s position that [...]

More than 8 million motorists drive over more that 2,200 Illinois bridges that are rated as “structurally deficient” and in need of immediate repair. So says a study released Tuesday by a Washington DC organization “calling for more responsible investment of our federal tax dollars” toward the nation’s transportation infrastructure. The study — by Transportation [...]

The Chicago Tribune reports that Illinois Department of Transportation head Gary Hannig will step down from his post. From a statement issued by the 58-year-old Democrat: After giving the matter long and serious thought, I have informed my good friend Governor Quinn that I will be retiring from state government effective March 31. I have [...]

UIC has made a collection of photographs available online that depict scenes from a bygone Chicago. The IDOT Chicago Traffic Photograph Collection is housed in the Special Collections Department at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and contains about 2,300 images from Chicago transportation surveys and projects. Many of the prints appear to have been [...]

The Illinois Department of Transportation plans two more meetings in March to gather public input and comments on expanding high-speed rail between Chicago and St. Louis. Comments can be submitted online until March 18. IDOT plans a second series of meetings this summer, and is scheduled to complete a study of high-speed rail options late [...]

I’m sure motorists & commuters in the know were eagerly awaiting this month’s re-opening of the inbound side of the 335-foot Congress Parkway bridge. Alas, the opening of the bridge — closed for reconstruction in April 2010 — has been delayed…Until September. From Jon Hilkevitch in the Chicago Tribune: Delays in manufacturing and delivering bridge [...]

The frequency at which traffic deaths and serious injuries occur have declined since the early 2000s, according to a Chicago Tribune report that cites a study by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. From the Tribune: The statistics are based on data collected by the Illinois Department of Transportation. The report provides an updated analysis [...]

Illinois Department of Transportation spokeswoman Marisa Kollias has announced she will be leaving the agency. Her last day is scheduled to be Friday. In an email to media outlets, Kollias said she has taken the position of Deputy Director of Communications at Cook County Hospital and HealthCare Systems.

The Illinois Department of Transportation said three entrance ramps from Chicago city streets to the Kennedy Expressway have opened to traffic. The ramps were opened before the afternoon rush hour and in time for IDOT to begin fighting the first major snow storm of the season. The entrance ramps from Jackson Boulevard and Adams Street [...]

Since mid-November, Northwest Indiana commuters have been dealing with the closure of a 4-mile stretch of Cline Avenue between Calumet Avenue in Hammond and Michigan Avenue in East Chicago.

The Indiana Department of Transportation closed the section — which in the past was the scene of tragedy of some –because of significant structural damage.

In launching a new Web site containing structural ratings for state-maintained bridges, the Illinois Department of Transportation promises to offer more access and be more transparency for motorists. The initiative will allow motorists to learn how safe the state’s nearly 27,000 bridges are, according to a IDOT news release announcing Web site. “We want the [...]

The Tribune’s Jon Hilkevitch has a great piece looking at a study by the League of Illinois Bicyclists that posits that road-widening and reconstruction projects done by local agencies are often superior to work done by state highway engineers. The difference: An interest in how changes affect everyone who uses a roadway versus a focus [...]

The first segment of the Elgin O’Hare Expressway West Bypass study is scheduled to be complete in early 2010 with a final environmental impact statement and record of decision that illustrates a preferred transportation system plan for the area. Once that preferred plan is identified, the Illinois Department of Transportation will begin the study’s second [...]

A preliminary study released by the Illinois Department of Transportation finds that a north-south expressway connecting the Jane Addams Tollway to the Tri-State Tollway on the west side O’Hare International Airport would significantly cut travel times to the airport. In addition, a long-planned extension of the Elgin-O’Hare Expressway would contribute to halving travel times for [...]

Commuters who have relied on 159th Street to avoid Bishop Ford Freeway construction will have another headache to deal with beginning Tuesday. The Illinois Department of Transportation on Thursday announced that 159th Street between Park Avenue and West/Center Avenue in Harvey will be closed from Sept. 8 through May 2011. Eastbound motorists will be detoured [...]