President Preckwinkle Announces Nearly $8 Million for Invest in Cook Projects
Invest in Cook grant program enhances transit, sidewalks and bicycle paths and upgrades roadway and freight infrastructure across Cook County
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle joined the County’s Department of Transportation and Highways (DoTH) today to announce the list of 35 projects that will receive funding under the 2024 ‘Invest in Cook’ grant program. A total of $7,995,113 will be distributed across 26 municipalities, four township road districts, two transit agencies, two special purpose governments, and a nonprofit conservation organization to fund four transit, 12 pedestrian, six bicycle, one freight and 12 road projects.
This is the eighth year Invest in Cook grant funding has been awarded for transportation-related projects. Invest in Cook has awarded $64.2 million in grants for a total of 277 projects throughout Cook County since its inception in 2017.
The County’s investment of nearly $8 million leverages significant additional local, state and federal funds, allowing nearly $42 million in transportation infrastructure engineering and construction to advance. Past projects funded by Invest in Cook have gone on to receive $3 of local, state or federal funding for every $1 of Invest in Cook awards.
To promote diversity in transportation modes, projects were evaluated and ranked by type. This year, 62% of grant funding is directed towards projects in low and moderate-income communities, including townships.
“Providing better transportation options is part of how my administration is expanding access to opportunities across the County,” said President Preckwinkle. “Invest in Cook continues to aid under-resourced areas while at the same time leveraging other grant funding, with this year having the highest leverage ratio in the program’s history.”
Invest in Cook grants help municipalities further their transportation projects by providing the gap funding required to advance investing in the planning, engineering, right-of-way acquisition and construction associated with transportation improvements sponsored by local governments and private partners. Funding early project phases is crucial to unlock follow-on grant funding opportunities.
Invest in Cook is an initiative that’s part of Connecting Cook County, the County’s long-range transportation plan, which guides how the County invests in transportation to attract and retain businesses, people, capital and talent. Invest in Cook grants support the ‘Vital Communities,’ ‘Sustainable Communities’ and ‘Connected Communities’ priorities laid out in the Cook County Policy Roadmap.
DoTH evaluated the 78 grant applications submitted by local governments and transit agencies based on priorities detailed in Connecting Cook County:
- Prioritize transit and other transportation alternatives
- Support the region’s role as North America’s freight capital
- Promote equal access to opportunities
- Maintain and modernize what already exists
- Increase investments in transportation
DoTH staff evaluated and scored the proposals using publicly available, performance-based criteria. A qualitative assessment was also performed which included interviews for each project.
To view the complete list of 2024 Invest in Cook grant recipients and projects, visit: www.cookcountyil.gov/investincook
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