Environment

Explore environmental resources related to transportation in Illinois, including wetlands protection, stormwater management, air quality initiatives, and efforts to promote electric and alternative fuel vehicles. Learn how transportation impacts environmental stewardship in the state.

Environmental, social, and energy conservation considerations are integral elements in transportation investments. Beyond the construction and maintenance of transportation projects IDOT is proactive in protecting and preserving the environment and maintaining or improving quality of life for Illinois residents. All transportation projects, involving the use of state and federal funds are required to follow formal procedures designed to protect the natural and social environment, this includes wetlands, plants, animals, air and water quality, archaeological and historic sites, agriculture, and communities.

IDOT strives to reduce or eliminate adverse environmental impacts and as appropriate to identify mitigation or remediation actions to achieve the best possible outcome during project development, design, and construction. Environmental regulations encompass air quality, traffic noise, community impacts such as relocations and access changes, natural resources including protected species and habitats, cultural resources such as pre-historic and historic sites, and land and water contamination issues.

In order to ensure the transportation projects are in compliance with state and federal environmental laws and regulations, IDOT uses special technical expertise to conduct surveys, review and/or prepare portions of environmental documents, and coordinate projects with state and federal resource agencies.  IDOT also oversees and coordinates the activities of University of Illinois scientists and specialists located within the Illinois Natural History Survey, the Illinois State Archaeological Survey, and the Illinois State Geological Survey who conduct a variety of scientific surveys.

Please visit the Consultant Resources webpage (toward bottom of page) to view Environmental resources as the Environmental Survey Request (ESR) form, which initiates the Phase 1 review process.

The Illinois Department of Transportation's first Carbon Reduction Strategy was approved by the Federal Highway Administration in 2024. This document provides information on key sources of transportation emissions in Illinois, and strategies to reduce those emissions.

All-Hazards Transportation System Vulnerability Assessment: IDOT developed a statewide inventory and vulnerability index of all state-owned transportation assets. The index takes into account the importance of the asset, its condition, and the assets geographic location in relation to potential hazards. This will help the department to prioritize maintenance, fabrications, and major capital projects with relationship to man made and naturally occurring hazards. Due to the sensitive nature of the data, only the executive summary will be published.