History of the Illinois Department of Transportation, 1903-2013
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History of the Illinois Department of Transportation 1903 - 2013 Illinois Department of Transportation 2300 South Dirksen Parkway Springfield, IL 62764 www.dot.il.gov © 2013, State of Illinois Prepared by Brockton G. Lange Table of Contents Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 1 State Highway Commission & Department – 1903-1917 In A Primitive State .............................................................................................................. 3 Good Roads Commission ................................................................................................... 4 State Highway Commission ................................................................................................ 5 Illinois’ First Speed Limit and Motor Vehicle Law ................................................................ 6 Centralizing the State’s Authority ........................................................................................ 7 Illinois Transportation & National History: Early Aeronautics in Illinois ............................... 8 The Good Roads Movement ............................................................................................... 9 Illinois Transportation & National History: The Lincoln Highway in Illinois ........................ 11 State Highway Department ............................................................................................... 12 The Federal Government Gets Involved ........................................................................... 13 Department of Public Works and Buildings – 1917-1971 The Consolidation Bill ........................................................................................................ 15 The Bond Issue of 1918 .................................................................................................... 16 The Roaring Twenties and Illinois Roads .......................................................................... 18 Illinois Transportation & National History: Bates Experimental Road ............................... 19 State Police, Sign Regulation, and Fuel Taxes ................................................................. 20 Illinois Aviation Takes Off .................................................................................................. 22 Division of Waterways ....................................................................................................... 24 Building the State, Building Hope ...................................................................................... 25 The Road to Victory ........................................................................................................... 27 The Coming of the Superhighway ..................................................................................... 29 Illinois Transportation & National History: World War II and Illinois’ Railroads ................. 30 The Interstate is Born ........................................................................................................ 32 Illinois Transportation & National History: The AASHO Road Test................................... 33 Department of Aeronautics ................................................................................................ 36 Emergency Traffic Patrol/Emergency Patrol Vehicle Program ......................................... 37 Taming the “Killer Highways” ............................................................................................ 38 Highway Construction Hits a Road Bump ........................................................................ 39 The Illinois Constitution of 1970 ....................................................................................... 41 Department of Transportation – 1972-Today The Creation of IDOT ....................................................................................................... 43 The 1970s Energy Crisis .................................................................................................. 45 Division of Traffic Safety ................................................................................................... 47 Getting Passenger Rail Back on Track ............................................................................. 49 Illinois Transportation & National History: The National Speed Limit ............................... 50 Funding Transportation and Finishing the Interstate ........................................................ 52 ISTEA and the National Highway System ........................................................................ 54 Designing an Intelligent Highway ..................................................................................... 55 Illinois Transportation & National History: The Great Flood of 1993 ................................ 56 New Changes for a New Century ..................................................................................... 57 Chicago’s Third Airport ..................................................................................................... 58 Diversity and the Environment .......................................................................................... 59 Division of Public and Intermodal Transportation ............................................................. 60 Full Speed Ahead ............................................................................................................. 62 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 65 Appendix ........................................................................................................................... 66 Directors, Secretaries, and State Engineers of Illinois’ Transportation Agencies Bibliography ...................................................................................................................... 69 Introduction Uniquely situated between the continent’s two largest inland waterways—the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River—and near the geographic heart of the nation, Illinois’ historic importance to national transportation began centuries before there was a dedicated transportation government agency. Railroads that helped usher in the industrial age in the 1800s pulsed out from Chicago, the heart that pumped the lifeblood of the nation through its steel arteries. As automobiles took over as the leading mode of transportation in America, Illinois became the only state home to both the Father Road and the Mother Road (the Lincoln Highway and U.S. Route 66). In many ways, the history of transportation in Illinois is the history of America itself. The roots of the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) can be traced to the turn of the 20th century. For as long as there have been cars, highways, and air traffic, there has been an Illinois transportation agency. Over the past century, these agencies have been central to Illinois’ public services and responsible for the state’s highways, rails, airports, and waterways. From massive bridges spanning the Mississippi River to two-lane roads tracing through rural corn fields, from dirt and grass landing strips to the steel and concrete jungle of O’Hare International Airport, and on every mile of interstate and rail road that made Illinois what it is today, the mark of the state’s transportation agencies can be seen and felt. The IDOT of today is a multi-modal transportation agency with various levels of responsibility for highways and bridges, public transit, aeronautics, rail freight and passenger transportation, and traffic safety. The cornerstone of the state’s transportation network—comprising more than half of IDOT’s efforts—is its highway system. More than 16,000 miles of state- administered highways navigate the diverse Illinois landscape, including 2,182 miles of interstate, the third most in the nation. The department also oversees the second largest air transportation system in the nation with 480 private and 110 public airports, including one of the world's busiest airports, O’Hare International in Chicago. Nearly 7,300 miles of railroad track, once the hallmark of Illinois transportation, make Illinois’ rail system the nation’s second largest. Two of the country’s busiest rail freight terminals are in Chicago and the East St. Louis region. IDOT is also responsible for providing technical and financial support to public transportation throughout the state. Illinois’ 66 local transit providers, carrying over 709 million passengers a year, make the state’s public transportation system the second largest in North America. This book is not a comprehensive collection of IDOT’s history, nor does it cover all aspects of Illinois transportation. The developments and impacts of IDOT, its predecessors, and their employees are too numerous to fully catalog here. With this brief history, however, the Illinois Department of Transportation hopes to provide its employees and Illinoisans everywhere with a deeper appreciation of the agency’s important role in the state’s history. 1 All images from Illinois Department of Transportation Division of Highways, Aerial Surveys Section, Springfield, IL; Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D.C.; and other state and federal government sources, unless otherwise noted. 2 State Highway Commission & Department 1903-1917 In a Primitive State Transportation in Illinois at the turn of the