You can still help shape DuSable Lake Shore Drive’s future. Here are two ways to weigh in.
Chicagoans have two immediate opportunities to weigh in on the future of North DuSable Lake Shore Drive, including a July 31 deadline for written comments and an August 6 public hearing.
The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning is accepting feedback on its draft 2026 Regional Transportation Plan, which will guide regional transportation priorities and funding through 2050.
Even people who commented earlier in the planning process should submit feedback again. Earlier public input helped shape the draft, and this round responds to the document that CMAP’s board and Metropolitan Planning Organization Policy Committee will consider before its expected adoption in October.
The most relevant section to the future of DuSable Lake Shore Drive is Appendix E: Regional Capital Projects Benefits Report, page 52, under North DuSable Lake Shore Drive Improvements, RCP 12120.
That appendix describes a “current preferred multi-modal alternative” consisting of a full roadway reconstruction, a new underpass eliminating the traffic signal at Chicago Avenue, a redesigned Oak Street curve, five new ADA-compliant pedestrian access routes, bus-only lanes on ramps, and shoreline protection.
However, the Illinois and Chicago transportation departments have also said no final decision has been made regarding a preferred alternative. Advocates are asking CMAP to correct the appendix so it does not suggest the project’s configuration has already been settled.
Residents can also tell CMAP what they want the eventual design to include a true boulevard alternative, continuous dedicated transit lanes rather than priority only on ramps, safer walking and biking access, and stronger connections between neighborhoods and the lakefront.
Those requests align with the Regional Transportation Plan’s own emphasis on reducing vehicle miles traveled, encouraging mode shift, improving bus reliability, and connecting walking and biking networks. The main plan describes the drive project more generally as an effort to improve safety, accessibility, reliability, and multimodal connectivity, without naming a preferred configuration.
Click on these links to read the Appendix E Document and the full RTP Document.
Comments can be submitted through CMAP’s online form or emailed to rtp[at]cmap[dot]illinois[dot]gov by July 31. On the form, select Appendix E: Regional Capital Projects Benefits Report and reference page 52 and RCP 12120.
CMAP will also hold a public hearing on Thursday, August 6, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. with both in-person and virtual participation available. Register here to testify either in person or virtually.
Sample comment:
“Please revise Appendix E, page 52, to clarify that no final preferred alternative has been selected for North DuSable Lake Shore Drive. Keep a true boulevard alternative, continuous dedicated transit lanes, safer walking and biking access, and stronger neighborhood connections to the lakefront under consideration. Bus-only lanes on ramps are not a substitute for meaningful transit priority.”
What your comment relates to:
Appendix E: Regional Capital Projects Benefits Report and reference page 52 and RCP 12120
Email option:
To: rtp[at]cmap[dot]illinois[dot]gov
Subject: Comment on North DuSable Lake Shore Drive, RCP 12120
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More info on the process
On CMAP’s online comment form, select “Regional Transportation Plan,” followed by “Appendix E: Regional Capital Projects Benefits Report.”
Commenters can ask CMAP to clarify that no final preferred alternative has been selected for North DuSable Lake Shore Drive and reference Appendix E, page 52, project RCP 12120.
For the feedback category, commenters seeking changes to the project description can select “Suggested edit or correction.”
Page 74 of CMAP’s draft Regional Transportation Plan identifies North DuSable Lake Shore Drive as a priority investment but does not name a preferred design for the corridor.
CMAP’s draft 2026 Regional Transportation Plan will guide major transportation priorities and funding decisions across northeastern Illinois through 2050.
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