Public encouraged to vote Forest Hill Flyover for America’s best transportation project

CHICAGO — The Illinois Department of Transportation is reminding the public that just a few weeks remain to vote for the Forest Hill Flyover as the top transportation project in the nation. The win would bring Illinois national recognition and $10,000 in prize money that IDOT will award to Golden Hope Foundation, a Chicago organization that helps local children through scholarship assistance, back-to-school backpack drives and science, technology, engineering and mathematics summer camps.

“We’re excited for the opportunity to support Golden Hope Foundation in developing the next generation of STEM leaders — hopefully to eventually join us at IDOT for long, successful careers,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Gia Biagi. “We have had the honor of competing for the top, most impactful project in the nation seven times in the last nine years. Now we’re asking the public to help bring this award home to Illinois.”

Illinois is in the running for People’s Choice in the annual America’s Transportation Awards, hosted by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. The public can vote online once a day now through Nov. 15 at idot.click/AASHTO-2026. The winning project will be announced Nov. 17.

The Forest Hill Flyover added an elevated rail corridor and additional tracks on Chicago’s South Side, separating trains from vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian traffic, improving safety, mobility and quality of life at what was one of the worst rail bottlenecks in the country. The flyover is the latest success story for the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program known as CREATE — a unique public-private partnership between railroads and state and local governments working together to improve the way passengers and goods move over rail. ​

The nonprofit Golden Hope Foundation works as a CREATE partner with a focus on STEM education and food security via afterschool programs. They host an annual educational camp and a back-to-school drive that helps provide backpacks and other school supplies to area kids.

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