Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) announced on Friday that $127.9 million will be awarded through the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program (ITEP) to expand travel options and improve the quality of life in communities across the state – including multiple Quad-Rite areas.
This year’s program is the largest ever for the historic, bipartisan Illinois Rebuilding Pritzker and provides resources to communities that present the greatest need, according to a news release.
“The Transportation Enhancement Illinois Program is an important part of Rebuilding Illinois designed to provide alternative modes of transportation, preserve visual and cultural resources, and improve quality of life,” Pritzker said. “And today I’m announcing the largest ever round of funding for ITEP – over $125 million to build better and safer bike routes, walking paths, trails, and other local travel options. We are at the forefront of the legacy of disinvestment that binds us all, and we have set a new day for that purpose.”
The 72 they include biking and walking paths, trails, streets and beautifications and other projects designed to encourage safe travel through various modes of transportation on a local level. An all-time high of nearly $127.9 million is available in this funding cycle, with more than 75% allocated to projects in communities that have demonstrated the greatest financial need.
Quad-Cities area projects include:
- aledo: Ninth Avenue Shared-Use Path Aledo Bike/Pedestrian Construct, a shared-use path along Ninth Avenue within the city of Aledo. $1,399,446.*
- atkinson: Downtown Improvements Project. Remove and replace 13,224 square feet of existing crumbling sidewalk. Provide ADA accessibility improvements, construct new curbs and gutters, and replace 17 street lights with new energy efficient LED lighting. $719,805.*
- Elizabeth: US 20 Reconstruction and Streetscape. Remove and replace crumbling sidewalks, and construct ADA compliant ramps/shelters. Purchase and install street/pedestrian lighting. Construct bump-out areas to help pedestrian safety and slow vehicular traffic. $1,886,585*
- Galesburg: Lake Storey Shared-Use Path. Build a common use road and west
US 150 to connect with the general use route around Lake Storey in Galesburg west of US 150 from South Lake Storey Road to US 150, to cross the off-ramp south of US 150 to Lake Storey, connecting with the existing road system north of Storey Lake (west of US 150 .). $655,560* - mill: River to River Phase II Trail Project – Bike/Pedestrian Construct a two-way trail along the 19th Street/27th Street corridor between the Mississippi River and the Rock River.
City Avenue at 36/38th Avenue (Coaltown Road.) $3 million. - The woods: 10th Street Shared-Use Path. Bike/Pedestrian Construct. The track is used separately
segment along 10th Street. The avenue connects the trail to the Great Illinois Trail in Forest City. $1,186,960**
* The project is receiving state funding support for 50% of the required local match. Total funds awarded include both ITEP funding and local grants.
** The project is receiving state funding assistance for 100% of the required site match. Total funds awarded include both ITEP funding and local grants.
“The Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program gives our local partners the resources they need to improve the quality of life for their communities and strengthen the overall transportation system,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman. At Gov. With Pritzker’s leadership, we’re putting dollars to work in the communities that need them most, investing in infrastructure and growing travel options to make Illinois a safer and more enjoyable place to build a business and raise a family.”
Click this for a complete list of recipients or visit https://idot.click/itep and click on the “Awarded Projects” tab.
Made possible by federal and state funds administered by IDOT, ITEP awards are focused on improving bicycle and pedestrian travel, as well as other surface transportation improvements that promote alternative options for communities.
Projects are considered based on their readiness and ability to connect transportation networks and other economic drivers, as well as provide public safety and public benefits. Added to consideration are areas with higher needs, based on population, percentage below poverty level and estimated median household size.
IDOT received 223 applications for projects worth an estimated $337 million for the current cycle. The next call for projects will come in late 2024, with a 2025 award announcement.
Passed in 2019, Rebuild Illinois will invest $33.2 billion in the state’s aging transportation system, creating jobs and promoting economic growth. Rebuilding Illinois is not only the largest capital program in the history of the state but also the first that touches all modes of transportation in Illinois: roads and bridges, crossings, rivers, freight and passenger rail, aviation, bicycle and pedestrian facilities.
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