ICYMI: Mayor Brandon Johnson Touts Progress Building A Safer, Denser, More Walkable Chicago

CHICAGO - In case you missed it, today Mayor Brandon Johnson celebrated the completion of a major safety improvement project on Milwaukee Ave in the River West community which marked the 100th mile of bikeways completed under the Johnson administration. Today's announcement represents the latest milestone in the Mayor's citywide effort to build out Chicago's housing stock and pedestrian-friendly communities while driving down traffic fatalities.

"Reaching this milestone is a reflection of my administration's commitment to growing and improving our city's bike network while making it easier for Chicagoans to embrace diverse transportation options," said Mayor Brandon Johnson. "We are taking on the responsibility to ensure our roads are reliable, accessible, and most of all safe for pedestrians, bikers, and drivers. Through our investments in affordable housing and safer infrastructure we are increasing density and walkability while building a safer and more affordable city for all Chicagoans."

Photos from the 100 Miles Celebration are available here.

Full video of the event is available here.

While the Trump administration is unconstitutionally withholding millions of federal dollarspreviously appropriated to support road safety and bike lane projects, under the leadership of Mayor Johnson Chicago is charting a different path. Working in partnership with the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) and community-organizations, Mayor Johnson is building a more pedestrian-friendly Chicago by reducing car dependence, investing in denser housing stock, and increasing sustainable transportation options.

BUILDING SAFER STREETS

Chicago will cross 500 miles of total bikeways by the end of 2025. Guided by the Chicago Cycling Strategy, 82% of these new projects are low-stress bikeways-protected bike lanes or neighborhood greenways designed to provide comfortable routes for people of all ages and abilities. This year Chicago is on track to deliver the highest percentage of low-stress bikeway installations to date, with a record 15 miles of new protected bike lanes and 22 miles of neighborhood greenways.

These investments in safer streets are driving historic reductions in traffic related fatalities. Since the 2021 peak, traffic fatalities have decreased by about 30%, even as traffic volumes have rebounded post-pandemic and more residents are choosing active forms of transportation. Chicago is outperforming national trends, where traffic fatalities in the U.S. are estimated to be down just 8% from 2021.

This downward trend is continuing through 2025. Preliminary data shows there were 64 traffic fatalities through the end of August, including 22 pedestrian fatalities-both are the lowest year-to-date totals in over a decade.

To stay up to date on projects, explore Chicago's bike network, and learn about traffic safety programs, visit Chicago.gov/CompleteStreets.

Additional Articles:

WGN9: Mayor Johnson celebrates 100 miles of new bikeways in Chicago, 500 miles more to come[Sep. 23, 2025]

Block Club Chicago: Bike Lanes, Other Safety Measures Installed Along Dangerous Portage Park Stretch [July 29, 2025]

Block Club Chicago:Bike Lanes, Other Safety Upgrades Coming To Dangerous Stretch Of Archer, Kedzie In Brighton Park [June 18, 2025]

EXPANDING ACCESSIBLE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION ACCESS

Under Mayor Johnson, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) secured the federal funding needed to get the Red Line Extension Project off the ground. The 5.6-mile project will extend the CTA's busiest rail line from 95th Street to 130th Street, while bringing four new fully accessible stations to historically underserved communities on the Far South Side.

In July Mayor Johnson was one of the first Chicagoans to pass through the gates at four new, fully-accessible Red Line stations on the Far North Side. The opening of the brand new stations marked a major milestone in the CTA's Red/Purple Line Modernization (RPM) Project. The Johnson administration is committed to ensuring the CTA is able to complete future RPM upgrades and will aggressively pursue federal funding to deliver accessible stations for riders on every side of Chicago.

Under Mayor Johnson's Acting CTA President Nora Leerhsen, the agency has reached near pre-pandemic staffing levels for rail and bus operators while overall ridership has rebounded to pre-pandemic levels.

In July Mayor Johnson signed the "Safe and Smoke Free Public Transit" executive orderdirecting City Departments to take immediate action to reduce smoking on the CTA and put forward recommendations for medium- and long-term solutions to instances of smoking.

Additional Articles:

CBS2 Chicago: Chicago Transit Authority secures nearly $2 billion funding agreement for Red Line extension project[Jan. 10, 2025]

WTTW Chicago: Mayor Brandon Johnson Signs Executive Order in Effort to Crack Down on CTA Smoking[July 22, 2025]

ABC7 Chicago: Chicago officials cut ribbon for renovated CTA Red Line stations on North Side [July 21, 2025]

BUILDING UP AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Mayor Johnson has put the construction of affordable homes and denser communities at the center of his strategy to make Chicago more affordable for working people. In Summer 2025 alone the City and its partners finished 422 new affordable housing units while advancing construction on an additional 1,600 units.

The Johnson administration is continuing to pursue reforms through the Mayor's "Cut the Tape" initiative which streamlines housing development processes to make it easier to build new housing throughout the city.

In July City Council reduced minimum parking requirements for housing developments built near CTA rail and bus stations, a crucial reform which will make it easier for developers to advance new projects while increasing space to allow for a greater number of units in each project. This reform helps drive down the cost of building housing which in turn makes rent more affordable for working Chicagoans.

Mayor Johnson is continuing to push for the expansion of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) citywide as the administration pursues every possible mechanism to increase the supply of affordable housing across Chicago.

Reflecting the administration's commitment to building dense, walkable communities, Mayor Johnson and the Department of Planning and Development (DPD) continue to work with community-partners, the local aldermen, and stakeholders to advance the Broadway Land Use Framework. The framework will amend zoning requirements along the Broadway commercial corridor in the Edgewater and Uptown communities to allow for an increase in denser, more affordable, multi-family housing development.

Mayor Johnson's landmark Green Social Housing ordinancemade Chicago the first major city in the U.S. to implement the social housing model. Utilizing funds from the Mayor's $1.25 Billion Housing and Economic Development bond the City created a revolving loan fund operated by an independent non-profit designed to spur mixed-income housing development across the city. Under the plan the City will issue $135 million in loans to developers who will utilize the funds to build environmentally-friendly affordable housing buildings to eventually be sold back to the city.

Additional Articles:

Bloomberg: To Boost Housing, Chicago Kills Parking Minimums [Aug. 26, 2025]

In These Times: The Growing Fight for Green Economic Populism [Aug. 5, 2025]

Chicago Sun-Times: City Council green-lights Mayor Johnson's big affordable housing push [May 7, 2025]

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