Last Friday's passage of the $1.2-trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in Congress provided a much-needed win for President Joe Biden. However, sustainable transportation advocates pointed out that the legislation largely prolongs the car-centric status quo by allocating scores of billions of dollars for driving projects, including nearly $110 billion for highways. Still, there are some upsides of the bill for walking, biking, transit, and intercity rail in terms of new funding and better policies. Streetsblog Chicago checked in with local transportation advocates and experts to get their takes on how the deal will impact active transportation in Chicagoland, for better or worse.

Active Transportation Alliance

"The infrastructure bill provides a historic opportunity to improve and expand public transit in the Chicago area," said ATA spokesperson Kyle Whitehead. "Long-promised projects like the Red Line Extension and a network of bus priority streets should be advanced with robust community engagement and transparency."

However, Whitehead argued that overall the bill fails to go far enough in establishing the transportation funding splits and policy needed to achieve real progress on our region’s climate and equity challenges. "It maintains the inequitable 80/20 split in highway and transit spending. The road spending comes with very few strings attached and could be spent on projects that would move us in the wrong direction. It will be critical to hold our elected officials, [the Illinois and Chicago transportation departments] accountable to their climate and equity commitments in spending these funds."

Whitehead added that it will be crucial for Congress to pass the separate Build Back Better Act package of climate change and social service service initiatives, which includes $40 billion in targeted investments to advance racial and environmental justice in transportation. "Components include $10 billion to support transit access to affordable housing, $4 billion for reducing transportation emissions, and $1 billion for reconnecting communities isolated by highway projects."

He lauded the new All Stations Accessibility Program, which earmarks $1.75 billion for retrofitting historic transit stations like CTA 'L' stops to make them wheelchair accessible, as well as as well as digital improvements, like creating new apps and way finding services for people with cognitive challenges. "Thank you to [Illinois U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth], who championed this program with support from [the local disability advocacy group] Access Living and transit and disability rights advocates from across the country."

As far as walking and biking goes, Whitehead noted that the bill also includes a 60 percent increase for the Transportation Alternatives Program, which has funded many walking and biking projects in the Chicago area. "This could be used to advance a community-informed vision for a citywide network of protected bike lanes in Chicago and safe and connected trail networks that extend into the suburbs."