Supporting Smart Investment
Illinois does not have a process for selecting and prioritizing transportation investments, and the result is wasteful spending and uncoordinated development. Illinois’ scarce capital resources should support projects that provide the greatest return on investment, so MPC is advocating for the state to establish goals and measurable criteria to evaluate how well transportation investments meet those goals. Such a system would put Illinois in a more favorable position for federal funding, since the Obama administration has indicated its intent to provide more support for innovative state projects that help achieve national priorities.
The National Transportation Objectives Act (H.R. 2724) has been offered by congress as an approach to provide goals and objectives to the reauthorization of the next surface transportation bill. MPC supports this approach.
Rep. Elaine Nekritz (D-Des Plaines) will be re-introducing the Transportation Investment Accountability Act next year in Springfield.
Articles
Illinois receives federal funds to unlock freight and commuter gridlock-
- On Feb. 17, the one-year anniversary of the $787 billion federal economic stimulus bill, the U.S. Dept. of Transportation (U.S. DOT) announced the recipients of the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) discretionary grants. Illinois received funding for three projects…
MPC in Springfield: Solutions for a strong economy-
- Good policy doesn’t have to be expensive – in fact, it can lead to cost savings – and MPC’s 2010 Springfield legislative agenda is proof. This session, MPC is advocating for several bills that would improve state policies related to water supply planning, pedestrian safety,…
Transit takes center stage during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games-
- Tonight, the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic games will kick off in Vancouver, Canada. More than 6,800 athletes representing 80 countries will compete in a series of events that will reach an audience of three billion television viewers worldwide. Olympic organizers are expecting more than a…
- MPC's response to 'Privatize Illinois' tollways? Voters say no'
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- Update: This letter to the editor ran in the Chicago Tribune on Feb. 9.
The Jan. 26 cover story, “Privatize Illinois tollways? Voters say no,” identified several important issues related to privatizing existing public assets. While private operators may raise tolls, a fair lease…
The fast track to high-speed rail-
- Today, President Obama announced the recipients of $8 billion in high-speed rail grants allocated to 31 states along 13 major rail corridors. The Midwest Region was awarded almost $2.6 billion for four major corridors: Chicago-St. Louis-Kansas City, Minneapolis-Milwaukee-Chicago,…
Multimedia
Transportation Investment Accountability Act
HB 4768: A results-based approach to transportation spending-
- Publication
- (42 KB)
- February 19, 2010
- HB 4768 will create the State Transportation Policy Committee, which will work with the Illinois Dept. of Transportation (IDOT) to ensure transportation investments will enhance state and local economic development, and quality of life for Illinois residents. The goals of the bill will create…
Dispatches from Berlin: What American Cities Can Learn from Berlin-
- Listen to this recording of MPC's Nov. 3, 2009, roundtable, which featured a panel discussion with three of the 10 transportation and regional planning professionals from New York, Chicago and San Francisco who attended a Peer Exchange in Berlin, Germany. The panelists discussed highlights from…
Traffic Costs Chicago Area $7.3 Billion a Year-
- Video
- (1:52)
- September 4, 2009
- Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) Vice President of External Relations Peter Skosey discusses discusses mpc's recent report, "Moving at the Speed of Congestion," which quantifies the true cost of traffic to metropolitan Chicago. This video was recorded in August 2008, in conjunction with the…
- What's Wrong with America's Trains
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- While America is a producer of cutting-edge software, has some of the best universities in the world, and boasts world-class hospitals, some of its technology for moving goods from one place to another is stuck in the 19th century.
In this report, which aired on the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on…
- Freight Train Network Suffers Lack of Modernization
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- Chicago has been a freight rail hub for the past 150 years, but an outdated layout often makes it a bottleneck for the country's shipping network. PBS special correspondent Rick Karr reports in this installment of the Blueprint America series on infrastructure. MPC President MarySue Barrett is…
Links
- American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)
- The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials advocates transportation-related policies and provides technical services to support states in their efforts to efficiently and safely move people and goods. More info »
- Fast Lane
- Subscribe to the official blog of U.S. Sect. of Transportation Ray LaHood. More info »
- Transportation for America
- MPC is a member of Transportation for America, a broad coalition seeking to align national, state, and local transportation policies with an array of issues such as economic opportunity, climate change, energy security, health, housing and community development. Subscribe to T4America’s blog to stay up to date on federal legislation related to these goals. More info »
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