SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — Governor Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Transportation announced on Friday that more than $10 million in grants has been awarded to 29 projects and activities throughout the state as part of Rebuild Illinois.
Five of those projects are located in central Illinois:
The Champaign County Regional Planning Commission will receive more than $600,000 for two projects under its jurisdiction: a corridor study of Lincoln Avenue in Urbana and a next-generation suite for its transportation entity, the Champaign Urbana Urbanized Area Transportation Study
The City of Decatur will receive $240,000 to create a plan of supporting the growing demand for charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.
The University of Illinois at Springfield’s Institute for Legal, Legislative and Policy Studies will receive $200,000 for its Equity and Safety Measures in Mobility and Livability project
The Springfield Airport Authority will receive $600,000 to improve the economic viability of Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport, along with improving the commercial and industrial development potential of the airport and surrounding area.
“Rebuild Illinois is about giving Illinoisans the quality roads, bridges, and paths they need to get where they’re going safely and quickly,” Pritzker said. “Thanks to our hard work, support from the federal government, and the leadership of Secretary Osman, more than $10 million will be dispersed for 29 planning projects throughout the state – from EV charging infrastructure to bike networks. This is the kind of investment that will help rebuild Illinois – one road at a time.”
The grants are designed to advance the objectives of the Illinois Long Range Transportation Plan. Criteria that were considered when awarding the grants included whether plans implement asset management strategies and performance-based planning and programming, as well whether they grow and support economically-distressed areas.
“Under Gov. Pritzker, we are working with our local partners to invest in infrastructure through the historic, bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital program,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman. “All of these efforts start with smart, researched planning. These grants will get resources to the local level to help guide decisions that improve mobility, safety and quality of life in our communities and neighborhoods.”