Research Project

Illinois Department of Transportation Accessibility Study

Illinois map showing accessibility

Accessibility to jobs study.

Principal Investigator
Sriraj, P.S.
Start Date
2022-09-05
End Date
2023-03-20
Research Area(s)
Data Development
Mobility
Funding Source
Illinois Department of Transportation

Abstract

The National Accessibility Index (NAE) was provided by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) as a component of a pooled fund study conducted in partnership with the University of Minnesota. The NAE is a census block-level index that is applicable across the United States, which provides information on the number of job opportunities that can be reached within a specific timeframe by four distinct transportation modes, namely, walking, cycling, public transit, and driving. The Urban Transportation Center was tasked with analyzing and cartographically representing the dataset for the state of Illinois, for the year 2019. Specifically, we focused our attention on assessing automobile and public transit accessibility within timeframes of 15-, 30-, 45-, and 60-minutes. This document provides an overview of our analytical process, the issues we encountered, and the dataset's limitations. We further illustrate our findings by presenting several maps, which can serve as examples for future endeavors.  Download the "Illinois Department of Transportation Accessibility Study."