CMAP: New rule to have significant impact on metropolitan transportation planning

On December 15, 2016, U.S. DOT issued a final rule that will affect the metropolitan transportation planning process in the CMAP region.  The rule requires a unified suite of planning products – including the long-range transportation plan, the transportation improvement program, and performance targets – for each metropolitan planning area, which in turn must encompass an entire urbanized area as defined by the Census Bureau.

The CMAP region is home to two urbanized areas – Chicago IL-IN and Round Lake Beach-McHenry-Grayslake IL-WI – both of which cross over into neighboring states.  As such, the rule would affect not only CMAP in northeastern Illinois, but also our counterparts the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission (NIRPC) and the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC). Read more.