Pop-Up Bus Lanes Coming to Chicago

"The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) and the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) announced a 'pop-up essential bus lanes' program that will temporarily designate 24-hour bus-only lanes along two city routes to expand bus service for essential workers," reports Katie Pyzyk. 

Mike Claffey, a spokesperson for the CDOT is quoted in the article providing more details about the implementation of the new pop-up bus lanes, which will be marked with striping and signs rather than the usual red paint treatment.

"The city intends to install the lanes within the next several weeks and run the pilot for at least six months to evaluate any changes with ridership and operations," according to Pyzyk.

The two routes have already received upgrades as part of the city's Bus Priority Zones program announced in 2019. "The city first announced planned improvements along these two bus corridors in 2018," according to Pyzyk. "Last year it provided $20 million in funding for CDOT and CTA to improve bus travel times and reliability along core routes as part of the Bus Priority Zone Program, and the two routes that will receive the new pop-up lanes received upgrades as part of the larger initiative."