Statement from Leanne Redden, RTA Senior Deputy Executive Director of Planning:
The RTA thanks Governor Quinn for helping to make the I-55 Bus-on-Shoulder pilot project possible, which is scheduled to debut this fall. Through tremendous partnership, the RTA led a planning effort with IDOT, Pace and the Illinois State Police to prepare for the two-year demonstration of transit bus operations on the I-55/Stevenson Expressway shoulder. Using the existing shoulder is a cost effective way to offer environmentally friendly transit service. The Bus-on-Shoulder demonstration project aims to improve the customer experience by potentially saving time, improving service reliability and reducing traffic congestion for commuters using Pace Routes 755 and 855.