Jon Hilkevitch is responsible for covering all types of transportation for the Chicago Tribune, both locally and nationally, although his primary focus is on the Chicago metropolitan region. The common thread in his reporting is a strong consumer-oriented focus, whether the issue is flight delays at O'Hare International Airport or railroad grade-crossing safety. Hilkevitch also writes a weekly commuting column, called Getting Around, which allows him to interact more informally with readers and to help resolve major problems as well as annoyances they experience on the transportation scene.

Jon Hilkevitch, 55, has been the Chicago Tribune's transportation reporter since 1997. In 2001, a team of Tribune reporters co-led by Hilkevitch was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for explanatory journalism for their series "Gateway to Gridlock,'' which chronicled the capacity crisis confronting the airline industry and the nation's commercial airports. Since starting at the Tribune in 1979, first at the Suburban Trib, Hilkevitch has held a variety of reporting and editing jobs in the city, the suburbs and Washington. Hilkevitch lives in Lisle and commutes to work using Metra, the CTA, Chicago River water taxis and his own two feet. His son, Nicholas, is a pilot at a major airline.

Planes, trains and buses, fast cars, express ski lifts, golf carts, road bikes, motor scooters and folk music.

Little to protest about transportation 5/21/2012
NATO transit so far smooth thanks to good planning and commuters staying away World leaders might have little to discuss at future summits if efforts to prevent wars and end world hunger went as well overall as the flow of humanity on Chicago-area highways, trains and buses during what was expected to be a traffic-stopping NATO weekend.

Purdue grads flush with hopes for new toilet-seat cleaner 5/14/2012
Team says its idea is cheaper, easier than existing products Nick Bradford says his team of student researchers at Purdue University has blown the lid off a very messy problem: keeping toilet seats clean in public restrooms.

After slow start, Loop 'L' project to resume 5/7/2012
Work will begin this weekend after two-week break The CTA Loop elevated track-replacement project will resume this weekend after a sluggish start last month that was followed immediately by an unanticipated two-weekend break to reassess the complicated repairs.

Chicago police crash reports are full of errors, study finds 4/23/2012
State double-checks facts and figures, but city police do not — causing dangerous areas to be ignored and safety funds to be misapplied It's not uncommon for judges to dismiss tickets against drivers on the grounds that the citations contain major errors, like misidentifying the street where an alleged traffic violation occurred, because the mistakes call into question the police officer's accuracy in providing other information on the ticket. ...

Relief ahead for drivers on Congress Parkway 4/16/2012
One leg of what many drivers criticize as a completely unnecessary traffic congestion trifecta in Chicago's West Loop is finally about to ease up.