Chicago Area Transportation Study

Chicago Area Transportation Study
Name	Chicago Area Transportation Study
Abbreviation	CATS
Formation	1950
Type	Planning agency
Headquarters	Chicago, Illinois
Region served	Chicago metropolitan area
Parent organization	Regional Transportation Authority

Chicago Area Transportation Study

The Chicago Area Transportation Study was a metropolitan planning organization that coordinated transportation planning for the Chicago metropolitan region during the mid-20th century. It interacted with agencies such as the City of Chicago, Cook County, Illinois Department of Transportation, Chicago Transit Authority, Metropolitan Transit Authority and federal bodies including the United States Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration. The study produced multimodal plans that influenced projects like the Interstate Highway System, Chicago Loop, O'Hare International Airport, and suburban commuter rail corridors.

History

The study originated in the post-World War II era amid population shifts documented by the United States Census and regional initiatives like the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 involving planners from the Chicago Plan Commission, Metropolitan Planning Council, and the Regional Plan Association. Early participants included officials from the City of Evanston, City of Oak Park, DuPage County, Lake County and representatives of private firms such as Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and engineering firms engaged with the American Society of Civil Engineers. As suburbanization accelerated, the study incorporated data from the Bureau of Public Roads and collaborated with institutions like the University of Chicago and Northwestern University to model travel demand and land use change. Key milestones included plan adoptions that shaped projects at Navy Pier, McCormick Place, and regional airports like Midway International Airport.

Organization and Governance

Governance structures drew upon regional commissions similar to the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning and municipal boards like the Chicago Plan Commission. The study's steering committees included elected officials from the Mayor of Chicago's office, commissioners from Cook County Board of Commissioners, suburban mayors from municipalities including Aurora, Joliet, Waukegan and agencies such as the Chicago Transit Authority and railroad carriers like the Chicago and North Western Railway and Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. Funding oversight reflected statutes such as the Interstate Highway Act and involved federal partners including the United States Department of Commerce and state legislators in the Illinois General Assembly. Advisory panels featured transportation leaders from the American Public Transit Association and academics from the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Planning Methodology and Models

Methodology incorporated four-step travel forecasting models developed in consultation with researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, and consultants who had worked on the Buffalo Metropolitan Planning Organization and New York Metropolitan Transportation Council. Data sources included censuses from the United States Census Bureau, traffic counts by the Bureau of Public Roads, and ridership statistics from the Chicago Transit Authority. Modeling tools applied principles from studies such as the Highway Capacity Manual and used algorithms that later informed the Urban Transportation Modeling System and regional models at the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. Scenario planning referenced precedents like the Pittsburgh Regional Transportation Plan and incorporated multimodal forecasting for commuter rail corridors serving carriers including Illinois Central Railroad and Penn Central Transportation Company.

Major Projects and Recommendations

The study recommended components of the I-90 and I-94 corridors, alignments affecting the Dan Ryan Expressway, connections to O'Hare International Airport, and expansion of facilities at Union Station. It proposed bus rapid transit concepts analogous to projects in Los Angeles and rail improvements paralleling modernizations by Metra and the Chicago Transit Authority's rail network. Recommendations influenced large infrastructure undertakings including expressway interchanges near Eisenhower Expressway, near-proposals for a Chicago subway expansion reminiscent of proposals in New York City Subway, and land use integration strategies similar to those adopted in Portland, Oregon and Minneapolis–Saint Paul.

Funding and Implementation

Implementation relied on funding mechanisms established by the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 and grants administered by the Federal Highway Administration and later the Federal Transit Administration. State contributions came through appropriations passed by the Illinois General Assembly, bond issues authorized by entities like the Chicago Transit Authority, and capital from railroad companies including Burlington Northern Railroad. Project delivery involved contractors such as Walsh Construction Company and engineering oversight from consulting firms including HNTB Corporation and Jacobs Engineering Group. Funding shortfalls and competing priorities mirrored fiscal debates in the City of Chicago and at the county level in Cook County.

Impact and Criticism

The study shaped regional growth patterns that paralleled suburban expansion documented in research by Jane Jacobs and Lewis Mumford; critics compared outcomes to critiques in works like The Death and Life of Great American Cities. Advocacy groups such as Environmental Defense Fund and neighborhood organizations in the South Side and West Side raised concerns about displacement, air quality monitored by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, and equity issues addressed by the Civil Rights Movement. Transportation historians referenced debates involving figures like Daniel Burnham (by legacy) and planners influenced by Robert Moses in analyses contrasting centralized expressway building with transit-oriented alternatives promoted by groups linked to the Regional Transportation Authority.

Legacy and Successors

Successor institutions included metropolitan planning bodies such as the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, transit agencies like Metra and the Regional Transportation Authority, and regional policy organizations like the Metropolitan Planning Council. Methodologies pioneered by the study informed later initiatives such as the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program and metropolitan models used by the Federal Transit Administration and the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Archives relating to the study are held by repositories including the Chicago Historical Society and university libraries at University of Illinois Chicago and Northwestern University.

Category:Transportation planning in the United States Category:Transportation in Chicago