— Critical History of Rapid Transit Planning and Decisionmaking Transit planning and decisionmaking in the Q Planning of the Skokie Swift; Chicago area has been significantly influenced by ● The Central Area Transit Project; factors dating back to shortly after the turn of the century. Three events are noteworthy because ● The Crosstown Expressway; and they shape the context in which Chicago’s transit ● The 1995 Transportation Plan, planning activities were conducted. The following discussion is organized under In 1913 four rapid transit companies, one of headings corresponding to these planning ac- which dated back to the World’s Columbian tivities. Exposition in 1893, began coordinated service with a unified scheduling of trains and a single fare over the elevated Union Loop track. (The four rapid EARLY TRANSIT PLANNING transit companies were consolidated into the Chicago Rapid Transit Company in 1924.) IN CHICAGO The city of Chicago stimulated the coordination The Chicago transit system is unique in that of all surface transit lines in 1914 by enacting an significant capital improvements in both facilities ordinance which provided for single management and rolling stock were made periodically prior to and coordinated service of the many surface line the availability of Federal capital grants resulting transit companies. from the Mass Transportation Act of 1964. Some Finally, bus transit service, which started in 1917 of these improvements are specifically mentioned and expanded significantly during the 1920’s, was because they clearly demonstrate the involvement consolidated into a single institutional structure, of the city of Chicago in transit planning and the Chicago Motor Coach Company, in 1922. It improvement programs prior to the period of public continued as the principal bus transit system within ownership, operation, and responsibility. the city until it was acquired by CTA in 1952. Even One such example is the planning and construc- earlier, in 1935, intercompany transfers permitting tion of the State Street Subway in the late years of continuous trips were started. the Depression and immediately prior to World Thus, Chicago had a long history of unified and War II. As the first of Chicago’s subways, 4.9 miles coordinated transit service when the Chicago in length, it was planned and constructed by the city Transit Authority took over the rail rapid transit even though the rapid transit system was privately system and surface streetcar and trolley bus lines in owned and operated. The operator, the Chicago 1947 and the bus transit system in 1952. Rapid Transit Company, assisted in the planning, design, and implementation. This narrative discusses several specific transit planning and decisionmaking activities whose The State Street Subway was built at a cost of conduct and outcome carry lessons for other $34 million. It was financed by the city of Chicago metropolitan areas: largely through its Traction and Transit Fund, with significant contribution from the Federal Govern- ● Planning and construction of the State ment through a combination of grants resulting Street Subway, the Milwaukee-Dearborn- from Depression-oriented economic stimulation Congress Subway, and the Elevated Lake and development programs. The subway was Street Transit Line prior to 1962; completed and went into operation in October 1943. ● The several early examples of joint transit- expressway planning, particularly the One significant feature of the State Street Congress Expressway; Subway project was that the Chicago Rapid Transit 13 Company had to assume the responsibility of rental fee from CTA for the use of its rights-of-way repaying the city for the fixed transportation and facilities common to both systems. equipment investments built into the subway. These investments totaled $4,349,231. The liability JOINT TRANSIT-EXPRESSWAY subsequently was transferred to CTA as a part of the purchase of the private transit company. PLANNING The second Chicago subway, the Milwaukee- Although overlapping in time and related to Dearborn-Congress Subway, was completed in a other improvements, a new era of transit planning similar manner after CTA took over ownership and and development began in Chicago in the early operation responsibilities from the private com- 1950’s that extends to the present. pany. Notwithstanding ownership of the system by a public authority, the second subway project was Chicago, unlike any other city in the United carried forward by the city and the planning, States, saw the opportunity of utilizing the design, and construction was the city’s responsibili- burgeoning highway construction program as a ty with CTA participation. The 3.99-mile mechanism to improve its rail rapid transit system. Milwaukee-Dearborn-Congress Subway was com- As a result, Chicago has completed and put into pleted at a cost of $4o million and went into operation nearly 24 miles of rapid transit service in operation in February 1951. The CTA, like its the medians of expressways. Space is available for private predecessor, had to assume the responsibili- an additional 19 miles of transit service should ty of repaying the city for fixed transportation transit demand increase and funds become facility investments, which in this case totaled available. $4,874,811. The utilization of publicly owned rights-of-way, particularly streets, for fixed guideway transit is a A third capital facilities project, along Lake concept as old as transit service itself. Almost Street, also is worthy of note because it involved a without exception, early transit service provided by wider range of public institutions in the planning, horse-drawn carriages and tracks and subsequently design, and construction of a transit facility. by streetcars utilized streets for right-of-way. The project involved removal of surface, street- With the growing need for more transit capacity, level transit tracks and loading platforms and their faster service, greater safety—and to increase the relocation to an adjacent elevated structure for 2-1/2 capacity of the streets to carry automobile traffic— miles. The primary purpose of the project was to rail transit was either elevated or depressed. To eliminate severe congestion and conflicts in opera- obtain the grade-separated rights-of-way, transit tion between the transit line and the street system. service was placed in subways, particularly in the A total of 22 grade crossings were eliminated, thus most congested and expensive central business reducing the conflict between transit trains and motor vehicles as well as pedestrians. districts, or only elevated sections wherever it was feasible and acceptable. The $4 million project was financed with $600,000 from the city of Chicago, $800,000 from The design concept of building grade-separated the Village of Oak Park, $1 million from Cook transit lines into open-cut depressed and closed subway sections or elevated sections on structure County, $1 million from the State of Illinois, and $600,000 from CTA. The project was completed dates back into the last century. But the concept continues to be utilized in the most modern of and placed in operation in October 1962. systems such as BART in San Francisco and the Construction of the Lake Street Transit Line new systems being constructed in Washington and elevated section was noteworthy because it in- Atlanta. Chicago is the only U.S. city which has volved close cooperation and coordination with the deviated from the traditional design concept and Chicago and North Western Railway. The new has systematically exploited the highway planning elevated line utilized rights-of-way owned by the and development program as a mechanism to private railroad through realinement of two of the expand and improve its rail transit system at railroad’s tracks and construction of a short section relatively low cost. of new track and elevated station platforms. The railroad, while paying the capital costs for the The first example of joint highway-transit use in improvements to its trackage, receives an annual Chicago was the planning development of the 14 Chicago is the only U.S. metropolitan area to systematically build transit lines and expressways jointly. Congress Street Expressway in the early 1950’s The Congress Transit Line replaced the old prior to the start of the interstate highway Garfield elevated route, which for most of its program. The Congress Street Expressway subse- length used a right-of-way and structure built in quently has been renamed the Eisenhower Ex- 1895 for the West Side Elevated Railroad. The pressway and has been incorporated into the right-of-way for the old elevated transit line, interstate highway system as I-9o. Most of its cost ranging up to 75 feet wide, was far from wide was paid without 90 percent Federal interstate enough to accommodate the 550-foot highway program funds because the expressway was right-of-way, but it was continuous for the entire planned, designed, and partially constructed before distance of the highway and therefore was the the interstate highway program was enacted in single most important parcel of property along the 1956. highway route. The Congress Rapid Transit Line connects with the Milwaukee-Dearborn-Congress Subway near In the planning and design of the highway, the west bank of the Chicago River. It extends alternatives were considered for replacing the old westward for about 9 miles, about two-thirds of the elevated Garfield transit line. The design concept distance in the median of the highway and about that was selected called for joint use of the right-of- one-third along the south edge of the highway way, with transit partially alongside and partially in right-of-way. Space next to the transit tracks also is the median, thus giving birth to the modern utilized by a double track freight line railroad, the concept of joint transit-expressway service in the Baltimore and Ohio Chicago Terminal Railroad. same corridor. 67-739 0 -76-4 15 There are other examples of joint or combined The relatively low cost of the expressway median use of rights-of-way in the United States.