The Burnham Transportation
Plan of Chicago: 100 Years Later
CTS-IGERT
Weekly Seminar
April 23, 2009
Joseph DiJohn
Urban Transportation Center
The Plan of Chicago
Chicago’s dramatic population surge
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1812: 100 people
1900: 1.7 million
Great Fire of 1871
Rapid growth led to congestion, chaos,
poverty, and air & water pollution
Burnham envisioned beauty and
efficiency
The Plan of Chicago
Chapter V Transportation
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Freight
Transit
Intercity Rail
Water, Mail
Chicago, the Freight Hub
“Chicago has been
made largely by
the railroads, and
its future
prosperity is
dependent upon
them”
A Freight System in Chaos
In 1908, 22 railroads
operated in Chicago
Delays and
inefficiencies already
apparent
Coordination among
railroads seen as
necessary
Burnham’s Plan for Freight
Burnham proposed a
centralized
clearinghouse for
freight and a unified
system of traffic
handling
In hindsight…
Rail congestion has been a continual
problem
Decentralization of facilities
Deregulation of rail industry
CTCO
CREATE program
Goods Delivery
“No goods should be
carried into or out
of the congested
business center
except those
needed for
construction, for
retailing, or for
consumption in that
territory”
Goods Delivery
“Bridge traffic” identified
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Neither originates or terminates in
downtown
Huge factor still today
Downtown delivery problem
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Needs of businesses vs. desires of
communities
Current issues of regional planning
Water Transportation
“A careful analysis of
freight traffic in
Chicago shows that
95%, in and out, is
done by railroads,
and only 5% is done
by water”
Waterfront Development
Burnham did not foresee the CBD shift
from commerce to service,
entertainment, residential, and leisure
South bank rail facilities vacated in the
60s
Grant and Millennium Parks
Freight Tunnels
Burnham’s plan
called for the
utilization “as far
as it will go in
carrying out a
complete system
of underground
distribution”
Underground Freight
1900: construction begins on 60-mile
underground tunnel system
1939: construction begins on transit
subway system
1959: freight tunnels abandoned
Shift in markets
1992: Great Chicago Flood
Freight Loops
Burnham proposed a
series of loops:
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A: elevated transit
B: B&O CT
C: Belt Railway
D: Indiana Harbor
Belt
Freight Loops
Outer Loop: EJ&E freight bypass
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CN acquisition
STAR Line?
Congestion problems identified in Plan
persist and their solutions are still being
debated
Hours of Delivery
Plan suggested deliveries 1 am – 7 am
Does not meet needs of businesses
Conflicts with suburban desire for quiet
Still under debate today
Mail Service
Plan suggested post
office separate from
courthouse or other
public building
Make post office
centrally located
Largest post office in
world in Chicago
Street Plan
Grids
Circuits
Radials
Metropolitan
center
Passenger Surface Lines
Surface lines (streetcars) followed grid
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Last cable car operated in 1893
Last streetcar operated in 1958
Loop was the only circuit constructed (1893)
Current Plans
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West Loop Transportation Center
Circle Line
Carol Avenue Corridor
The Loop
Elevated system
constructed in 1893
Proposals to extend
service beyond Loop
1924: Consolidation
of six rapid transit
lines
1945: CTA formed
1973: RTA formed
Passenger Subways
Proposed in Plan
First subway began construction in
1939 under State St. (Red Line)
1950’s Dearborn St. Subway (Blue Line)
Chicago Urban Transportation District
Light rail circulators abandoned for lack
of funding
Elimination of Grade Crossings
“Lines entering the
densely inhabited
parts of the city
should not cross
each other or
carriage roads at
grade.”
Ordinance raising
rights-of-way
Beautification
“A delightful station
conduces to
cheerfulness as a
man goes to work
and comes home,
while a shabby or
neglected station
produces the
opposite effect.”
Passenger Terminals
Plan proposed two stations
Clinton (Union, Ogilvie)
12th Street (never built)
Passenger Terminals
1909:
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Six stations
180,000 commuters
1,300 trains/day
2009
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Four major stations
300,000 commuters
700 trains/day
The Plan after 100 Years
Mixed results
Consolidation of passenger terminals
Consideration of region’s needs over
individual railroads’ needs
Burnham excelled at providing
leadership, vision, and advocacy