Overview
Six major railroads—two passenger and four freight—pass through the Chicago neighborhoods of Ashburn, Englewood, Auburn Gresham, and West Chatham. These railroads cross each other and local roads at several points within the area. These crossings result in train and road traffic back-ups and delays.

click to enlarge map


The 75th Street Corridor Improvement Project (75th St. CIP) was initiated to find solutions that will relieve this train and road traffic congestion. The Project Team includes the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) and the Association of American Railroads (AAR). The Project Team is conducting a study to determine how the railroad tracks in these neighborhoods can be “untangled” so that trains, vehicles, and pedestrians can more easily move through the community.

As part of this study, IDOT—with help from the local community—will identify the rail and road traffic problems in the study area. IDOT will then develop and evaluate several reasonable alternatives to address these Project Needs. IDOT will evaluate the environmental impacts of carrying forward these alternatives, including taking no action at all, which is known as the No-Build Alternative. This study, called an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), will help us find the best alternatives to address the Project Needs.

Latest News
Range of Alternatives Public Meeting
The 75th St. CIP team held its Range of Alternatives public meeting on Thursday, October 27, 2011 at Freedom Temple Church of God In Christ, 1459 W. 74th Street, Chicago from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.  The format included both an open house and formal presentation. Information from this meeting is listed below.

Summary of the Public Meeting

Appendix A – Meeting Promotions
Appendix B – PowerPoint (see link below)
Appendix C – Exhibits (see links below)
Appendix D – Meeting Transcript (see link below)
Appendix E – Comments

Transcript of the Public Meeting

Public Meetings Exhibits and Presentations

The exhibits and information that were shown to those attending are available for download below. All exhibits are PDFs* and will take a short while to load in a separate window.

Presentation – Please click here to view the presentation that was shown to the public at the meeting.

Brochure

Exhibits (large file)– Please click here to view the exhibits regarding the CREATE Program, the 75th St. CIP, and the Range of Alternatives presented at the meeting.

Aerial Maps – Click below to view aerial maps of the Build Alternative in the following Improvement Areas for the 75th St. CIP:

• Metra Reliability East of Columbus Avenue (large file)
• Forest Hill Junction and 71st Street Crossing (large file)
• Metra Rock Island Connection (large file)
• 80th Street Junction (large file)

Comment Sheet – A comment form was provided to participants at the meeting and the team would like to have your comments as well.  Please go to the Get Involved page to submit your comments.

*PDFs look best when viewed in Adobe Reader. Click here to download Adobe Reader (free).

The 75th Street Corridor Improvement Project is part of the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program (CREATE). CREATE is a first-of-its-kind partnership between the Federal Highway Administration, State of Illinois, City of Chicago, Metra and the nation’s freight railroads. A project of national significance, CREATE is investing billions in critically needed improvements to increase the efficiency of the region’s rail infrastructure and the quality of life of Chicago-area residents.