Location
Chicago, IL
Client
Chicago Department of Planning and Development
Services
Transportation Planning
Transit Planning
Traffic Engineering
Outreach
North branch framework plan
The North Branch Framework Plan involved a multi-disciplinary study of Chicago’s dynamic North Branch Industrial Corridor. The study area includes large development parcels that were historically protected industrial parcels.
As the land uses change and the potential to bring more jobs and residences to this neighborhood looms, the City was looking for guidance on crafting a comprehensive development strategy. Sam Schwartz’s transportation analysis highlights ways to enhance multi-modal connectivity and minimize added congestion in an already constrained environment.
Recommended policies focus on curtailing single-occupant vehicle use through transportation demand management strategies. relieving pressure on the street network. They include a pilot smart signal network, a dedicated transitway to connect the area to commuter rail hubs, and new vehicular and non-motorized bridges across the river to improve connections. A proposed shared use path along the river features a connection to the popular 606 trail, thus linking 11 neighborhoods to the west to the area.
