Elgin council hears CMAP-funded ADA right-of-way transition plan; full compliance estimated at $95 million
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Summary
City consultants presented a CMAP-funded ADA Title II transition plan using 2022 LIDAR data that inventories sidewalks, curb ramps and crossings, estimates roughly $95 million to fully remedy identified barriers, and recommends prioritizing 20 routes with an implementation target of about $500,000 per year and a 5–7 year delivery window for tier-1 projects.
Elgin officials on Jan. 28 received a presentation from Vitruvian Planning and the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) on a draft Americans with Disabilities Act (Title II) right-of-way transition plan that inventories barriers on sidewalks, curb ramps and crossings and recommends a prioritized, multi-year program to improve accessibility across the city.
Consultant Don Kostelec of Vitruvian Planning said the team used the city’s 2022 mobile LIDAR imagery to build a street- and curb-level inventory. He reported the city maintains roughly 573 miles of sidewalks, about 11,000 curb ramps and about 25,000 driveways. The analysis identified approximately 199 miles of sidewalks with issues and roughly 2,800 curb ramps in conditions that “may require replacement.” Kostelec said full-system compliance would be a large, rolling target: the plan’s high-level estimate is about $95,000,000 to bring the entire system into compliance.
Kostelec and Borja Gonzalez, CMAP’s liaison on the grant-funded project, said the plan prioritizes about 20 routes (color-coded tiers on a heatmap) based on concentrations of need, demographic indicators and likely safety impact. The consultants recommended a target implementation goal of about $500,000 per year focused on tier‑1 projects, noting the money need not be new general-fund dollars: upgrades can be folded into existing resurfacing and capital projects or pursued with grant funding.
City Public Services Director Mike Poobenz said the plan will be published for a 30-day public comment period and incorporated into the city’s Active Mobility plan before the city pursues adoption (most likely by executive action). He and the consultants emphasized the plan is a transition plan — not an immediate requirement to fix every item — and that a progress report will be required at least every five years under federal expectations.
Council members asked detailed questions about trade-offs in the plan. Council member Dixon asked why the plan might recommend building new sidewalks on arterial streets rather than prioritizing smaller older sidewalks; Kostelec said ADA compliance rules focus on existing facilities, and the city can still choose to add sidewalks where safety and access would be improved. Council members also sought clarification about driveway work (consultants said both commercial and residential driveways may be flagged when they affect crossing slopes) and timelines; consultants said tier‑1 priorities would typically be grouped into five‑ to seven‑year implementation windows, with grant funding and the city’s resurfacing program used to advance work earlier where possible.
Next steps: staff will finalize the report, publish it for a 30-day public comment period, provide it to the Active Mobility plan consultants for incorporation, and then return the plan to the city for potential adoption and phased implementation.