Mayor Brandon Johnson on Wednesday named longtime transportation insider William Cheaks as interim head of the Chicago Department of Transportation, putting him in charge of the city agency that keeps streets drivable, bridges open and multimodal projects moving. Cheaks, a veteran City Hall operator, said he plans to push for more equitable investment across neighborhoods and to step up communication with the public significantly.
As first reported by the Chicago Tribune, Cheaks will start as interim commissioner on Monday and has already outlined his top priorities in an interview. The move follows a run of turnover across Chicago’s infrastructure agencies and is meant to steady CDOT just as construction crews and contracts ramp up for spring. City officials say his deep familiarity with the bureaucracy should help speed up projects while keeping equity at the center of how money gets spent.
Cheaks' city résumé
Cheaks is no stranger to CDOT. He has logged years in senior posts, including a stint as deputy commissioner for the Division of Infrastructure Management, according to filings with the Illinois Commerce Commission. City payroll and departmental documents also show him holding multiple high-level roles at the department in recent years, per Chicago Salaries. That track record gives him experience across permitting, project coordination and day to day infrastructure management inside City Hall.
What he'll inherit
CDOT oversees more than 4,000 miles of streets and upward of 300 bridges and viaducts, and it partners with bike share programs such as Divvy, according to the City of Chicago. Cheaks is stepping in just as autonomous vehicle operators begin mapping Chicago’s street grid, a shift that is expected to trigger new debates over curb management, data sharing and how permits should work. Built In and other outlets reported that Waymo began its mapping effort in February.
The broader transportation landscape is also in flux. The Chicago Transit Authority is still run by an acting president, a reminder that leadership churn is not limited to CDOT, according to WTTW. Cheaks walks into an already crowded to do list.
Legal footnote
Cheaks previously appeared in an unusual city lawsuit that accused him of refusing to comply with a subpoena. Court records later showed he had in fact complied, and the case was dismissed in January 2025, the Chicago Tribune reported. The filings reviewed in that reporting indicate the dispute was resolved and did not lead to criminal charges.
What to watch
In the coming weeks, Cheaks is expected to spell out short term plans for street repair and clarify how CDOT will dispatch crews and award contracts across the city. Residents and alderpeople will be watching closely to see whether his tenure shifts funding toward neighborhoods that have historically seen less investment, a core promise of Johnson’s administration.
