IDOT announced a $30.7 million investment to expand travel options and enhance the quality of life in communities throughout the state. 33 projects were approved through IDOT’s Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program (ITEP), including biking and walking paths, trails, streetscape beautification work and other projects to encourage safe travel across various modes of transportation at the local level.
“This program is one of the most popular at IDOT and highly competitive for a reason: It allows our partners in local government to put into action their plans for improving local transportation,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Randy Blankenhorn. “We are proud to invest in these projects that allow our communities to showcase themselves as outstanding places to live, work and play.”
Made possible by federal funds, ITEP awards are focused on improving bike and pedestrian travel, as well as other surface transportation improvements that promote alternative options for travel. Ride Illinois has long advocated for increased transparency and process improvement to make sure Illinois uses all of its available money from this federal funding source.
“Each year, Ride Illinois joins others nationwide in Washington D.C. to support the federal transportation dollars that fund ITEP. Back home, we push for the most bicycling bang from these bucks,” said Ed Barsotti, Ride Illinois Chief Programs Officer. “We applaud IDOT for moving ITEP to a two-year cycle and for a timely announcement of grants emphasizing biking statewide.”
Among the ITEP awards, many will fund projects that Ride Illinois has influenced through local bike planning work. The Effingham project implements much of bikeway network that was recommended in Ride Illinois’ bike plan for the city. Similarly, the pedestrian/bicycle bridge spanning I-80 was a high priority in the bike plan we produced for Ottawa. Ride Illinois has also worked on bike plans for Carbondale, Urbana, Sangamon County, and Park Ridge, and we’re pleased to see ITEP funding support improvements in these areas. We are also happy to see funding for exciting projects like the Kickapoo Rail Trail (pictured above) and other bikeway and trail improvements throughout the state.
For this latest funding cycle, IDOT received 241 applications for projects worth an estimated $261.3 million. The complete list of the 33 awarded projects is below including the project sponsor, ITEP amount, and specific project work. The next round of ITEP awards will be in 2018. To be eligible, applicants must commit a local match of at least 20 percent to their project. Learn more about the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program here.
2016 Approved ITEP Projects
City of Park Ridge – $1,289,150
South Northwest Highway Streetscape
Village of Niles – $698,620
Milwaukee Avenue Corridor Improvements – Phase VI
Village of Romeoville – $296,700
Romeoville Proposed Metra Station – New Construction
Village of Channahon – $682,480
Bridge Street Multi-use Path
Village of Johnsburg – $1,072,100
Church Street Streetscape Improvements
Rockford Park District – $2,000,000
Jefferson Street Bridge Underpass
Winnebago County – $984,960
Perryville Bike Path Extension (Hart Road to Willow Brook Lane)
City of Silvis -$340,300
Avenue of the Cities Shared-use Path
City of Dixon – $2,000,000
Bike Path Extension Project
Village of Port Byron – $1,153,920
Illinois Route 84 Corridor Enhancement Project – Phase II
Sycamore Park District – $632,600
The Great Western Trail: Brickville Road to Main Street
City of Ottawa – $2,000,000
Pedestrian/Bicycle Bridge Spanning I-80
Village of Bradley – $333,800
Illinois Route 50 Shared Path Mall Entrance to Larry Power Road
City of Peoria – $485,170
Rock Island Greenway Extension
City of Washington – $255,840
McClugage Road/Centennial Drive Recreation Trail Connection
Village of Creve Coeur – $1,936,200
Illinois Route 29 Sidewalk and Lighting Improvement
McLean County – $160,000
Historic Route 66 Bikeway – 1.1 Miles South of Shirley to Funk’s Grove
City of Champaign – $2,000,000
Bradley Avenue Corridor Complete Street
Urbana Park District – $426,600
Park Street Shared-use Path
Champaign County Forest Preserve District – $225,000
Kickapoo Rail Trail – Phase Two Design Engineering
City of Litchfield – $1,937,800
Litchfield Streetscaping – Phase III
Quincy Park District – $791,990
Bill Klingner Bike/Pedestrian Trail – 18th to 24th Street
Village of Williamsville – $2,000,000
Heritage Route 66 Trail – Williamsville to Sherman
City of Pana – $497,120
Lincoln Prairie Trail Bridge Replacement
City of Havana – $264,130
Business Park Sidewalk Addition
Sangamon County – $420,800
Sangamon Valley Trail Extension
City of Charleston – $800,000
Charleston to Mattoon Lincoln Prairie Grass Trail Pedestrian/Bicycle Facility Improvements
Village of Dieterich – $1,023,010
Downtown Enhancements
City of Newton – $1,056,000
Phase IV – Eagle Trails
City of Effingham – $934,400
Bike Path – Pavement Marking and Signage Project
City of Columbia – $998,140
Main Street Streetscape – Phase 2
City of Eldorado – $274,080
Rt 45 and Rt 142 Pedestrian Access
City of Carbondale – $708,940
Northwest Pedestrian and Bicycle Path