Recent Streetsblog CHICAGO posts about UIC

IDOT Still Has Time to Make Peoria Street Great

By Steven Vance | Jul 19, 2013 | 5 Comments

As part of the Circle Interchange project, the Illinois Department of Transportation will rebuild many of the bridges around the confluence of three highways. One of them is the Peoria Street bridge, a vital connection that links two college buildings and West Loop residences north of the Eisenhower Expressway to the University of Illinois at Chicago […]

All Infrastructure Projects Create Jobs, But Not All Are Smart Investments

By Steven Vance | Jul 18, 2013 | 31 Comments

The Circle Interchange highway expansion project began construction Wednesday. At a press conference on the Peoria Street bridge, Governor Quinn stressed the job creation aspect of the $475 million project. What Quinn didn’t mention is that any $475 million infrastructure project would create a lot of jobs. In fact, after the 2009 stimulus bill injected billions […]

What I Heard at the Women Bike Chicago Conference

By Michelle Stenzel | Mar 26, 2013 | 3 Comments

Michelle Stenzel is co-chair of Bike Walk Lincoln Park, a committee to make walking and cycling safe in that neighborhood. During a “Bike Comfort, Safety and Style” session at Saturday’s Women Bike Chicago conference, one woman shared how heavily padded bike shorts came in handy when her menstrual cycle began a few days before her first […]

As Circle Interchange Clears Another Hurdle, Doubts Remain About Its Value

By Steven Vance | Mar 11, 2013 | 23 Comments

On Friday, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning transportation committee voted to recommend the addition of the Illinois Department of Transportation’s $410 million Circle Interchange project to GO TO 2040, the official regional plan. According to CMAP’s estimates, the project will increase carbon emissions and decrease transit trips. Governor Pat Quinn has directed IDOT to pursue […]

IDOT’s $400 Million Circle Interchange Expansion Won’t Fix Congestion

By Steven Vance | Feb 15, 2013 | 68 Comments

An expensive new interchange expansion that the Illinois Department of Transportation is pushing for downtown threatens to dump more traffic on Chicago streets, but the project still needs approval from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning to move forward. While IDOT is simultaneously proposing some improvements for biking and walking in the area, all of […]