Ride IllinoisRide Illinois
December 08, 2017

IDOT Road Project Reviews

Ride Illinois members consistently cite bike-friendly roads as their highest priority for our work. Over the past year and a half, we have significantly increased efforts to review individual IDOT projects and to advocate for better bicycling conditions at the early, pre-design stages of this roadwork. To date, we have combed through the five-year plans for seven of the nine IDOT districts (highlighted above), and provided detailed technical suggestions to IDOT engineers that would improve bicycling safety and accommodations if incorporated.

We continue to advocate for the implementation of our design recommendations and are pleased to share the following updates on projects throughout the state:

  • IDOT District 1 (Chicago metro region) is carefully studying the feasibility of our design suggestions for 150 upcoming resurfacing projects, with results expected in February. Read the original review for District 1 here.
  • IDOT District 4 (Peoria and western IL) responded to our requests on 16 upcoming projects. For many, they were already planning bike improvements. For some of the others, our details may help the designs. Read the original review for District 4 here.
  • Two of our IDOT District 6 (Springfield and western IL) letters have already directly or indirectly improved design plans: a better trail crossing in Rochester and bike lanes on Springfield’s Stevenson Drive. Read the review for District 6 here.
  • Ride Illinois initiated a request for an IDOT pilot program to expand the scope of some resurfacing projects to meet high-priority bicycle (and pedestrian) needs. The initial reaction was encouraging.
  • We will soon be sending IDOT District 9 (southern Illinois) design suggestions for 12 priority projects over the next 5 years. Specific requests include paved shoulders, less restrictive rumble strips, off-road sidepaths, road striping, and green light triggering. Read more here.

Ride Illinois is committed to helping communities around the state use road project opportunities like these to improve their bicycling conditions, and will continue to review the plans for the remaining two IDOT districts in 2018. We’re working closely with state and local agencies to “get it right” at the early stages, and speaking up for bicyclists about locations that need to be fixed. Please consider supporting our work by making a donation or becoming a member today. Your support is critical to our success.