President Preckwinkle Awards $8.27 Million to Invest in Cook Projects

Invest in Cook grant program improves transit, pedestrian and bicycle paths as well as road and freight transportation 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 32 projects that will receive funding under the 2025 ‘Invest in Cook’ grant program. A total of $8,270,810 will be distributed across 26 municipalities, three transit agencies, two park districts and one township to fund four transit, eight pedestrian, six bicycle, one freight and 13 road projects.

This is the ninth year Invest in Cook grant funding has been awarded for transportation-related projects. Invest in Cook has awarded $72.7 million in grants for a total of 310 projects throughout Cook County since its inception in 2017.

The County’s investment of nearly $8.3 million leverages significant additional local, state and federal funds, allowing nearly $21 million in transportation infrastructure engineering and construction to advance. Past projects funded by Invest in Cook have gone on to receive $3.00 of local, state or federal funding for every $1.00 of Invest in Cook awards.

To promote diversity in transportation modes, projects were evaluated and ranked by type. This year, over 60% of grant funding is directed towards projects in low and moderate-income communities.

“Every community needs good transportation options in order to thrive,” said President Preckwinkle. “The Invest in Cook program helps meet the needs of all communities, whether it is enhanced public transit, safer streets, new bicycle paths or improvements to industrial roads to support businesses. The program especially helps traditionally under-resourced areas. When we lift these communities up, we’re improving the quality of life for not only these residents but for all County residents.”

Two of this year’s grant recipients joined President Preckwinkle at the announcement. Pace Suburban Bus received $176,000 toward construction costs for the Cermak Road Business Access and Transit Lane pilot program; and $180,000 went toward implementation costs for the Arlington Heights/Rolling Meadows on demand service expansion.

“Pace’s collaborations with Cook County have consistently delivered better service for our region,” said Pace Executive Director Melinda Metzger. “Now, as Pace navigates a period of fiscal uncertainty, the County has stepped up once again to help us keep people connected to jobs, schools and essential services.”

The Village of Phoenix received $430,000 toward design and construction costs for their 7th Avenue improvement project.

“Projects like the 7th Avenue improvements in the Village of Phoenix are a great example of the things we can do when we work together,” said Phoenix Mayor Terry Wells. “It is so important to reinvest in our infrastructure, and this grant will help maintain and modernize roadways in the County and in my village.” 

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 advance the ‘Vital Communities’, ‘Sustainable Communities’ and ‘Smart Communities’ priorities laid out in the Cook County Policy Roadmap.

DoTH evaluated the 75 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 consisting of staff reviews of applications and applicant interviews complemented the quantitative assessments.

To view the complete list of 2025 Invest in Cook grant recipients and projects, visit: www.cookcountyil.gov/investincook