CONGESTED STATE STREET OPTS FOR CONSTRUCTION OF TRANSITWAY MALL

This article describes the planning and development of a Transitway Mall for Chicago's Central Business District. The plan provides for narrowing the existing State Street roadway from six, open-traffic lanes to two exclusive busways. Sidewalks will be broadened to accommodate landscaping, benches, and other amenities. The mall plan is founded on three basic objectives: The improvement of public transportation service in downtown Chicago; the improvement of State Street's pedestrain environment; and, the provision of an economic stimulus to the State Street business community. The Mall, in addition to providing a more attractive shopping environment and an increase in sales, will also be affected by the construction of new residential projects designed to revitalize and repopulate the city's CBD, the construction of new office buildings will increase the number of individuals working downtown who would patronize downtown stores, and the increasing emphasis placed on convention and tourism business in the CBD could mean more evening activity downtown. The Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis is cited as an outstanding example of a mall that has worked. It is aesthetically pleasing and has influenced and attracted new investment in the downtown area. It is noted that one of the biggest problems for Chicago will be the diversion of regular traffic now utilizing State Street. To accommodate the necessary altered vehicle patterns, three traffic control measures will be implemented. A computerized traffic signal which will respond to changing volumes of traffic by providing longer green time in the direction of the heavier flow; parking bans on one side of the street, thus increasing the vehicle capacity; and, the implementation of exclusive reverse flow bus lanes.

• Corporate Authors:

  Western Society of Engineers

  176 West Adams Street
  Chicago, IL  United States  60603
• Publication Date: 1977-12

Media Info

• Features: Figures;
• Pagination: p. 3-5
• Serial:
  • Midwest Engineer
  • Volume: 30
  • Issue Number: 4

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aesthetics; Busways; Central business districts; Contraflow lanes; Economic development; Parking; Pedestrians; Shopping centers; Traffic congestion; Traffic control; Traffic signals; Transportation planning; Vehicle capacity
• Uncontrolled Terms: Business development
• Subject Areas: Economics; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00172368
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 26 1981 12:00AM