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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 25, 2019
CONTACT
Natalia Derevyanny
(312) 603-8286 (office)
(312) 718-4125 (mobile)
natalia.derevyanny@cookcountyil.gov
Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways Receives more than $35.9 Million in Federal Grants for Local Projects
The Cook County Board of Commissioners accepted more than $35.9 million in federal grants for critical infrastructure improvement projects throughout Cook County.
“The County’s Department of Transportation and Highways has worked diligently to secure federal funding that makes a meaningful impact on the lives of our residents and promotes economic development in some of our most underserved communities,” Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said. “The projects being funded through these grants have the potential to strengthen our economy and lead to more livable Cook County communities.”
Lake Cook Road Improvements
The Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways secured $22 million in federal grants toward the $48.8 million cost to improve Lake Cook Road from Raupp Boulevard to Hastings Lane in the villages of Buffalo Grove and Wheeling. Lake Cook Road is a high-volume County highway that carries on average 39,600 vehicles per day.
Butler Drive Economic Development Program Grant Award
The Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways received an award of $2 million from the Illinois Department of Transportation’s Economic Development Program to advance the reconstruction of Butler Drive and Stony Island Avenue within the Illinois International Port District’s Lake Calumet facility. Butler Drive is the sole access for the 300 trucks that service the Port’s tenants on Lake Calumet each day. Portions of Butler Drive are unpaved and the existing pavement is in poor condition. The reconstruction of the roadway will improve access to existing industrial facilities and position the Port for successful redevelopment of vacant parcels on the southwest side of Lake Calumet.
Butler Drive and Stony Island Avenue Illinois Competitive Freight Program Grant Award
The Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways also received an award of more than $10.9 million from the Illinois Department of Transportation’s Competitive Freight Program for the Butler Drive project. This award will support design engineering and construction activities for the reconstruction of Butler Drive and Stony Island Avenue within the Illinois International Port District’s Lake Calumet facility.
Cook County Transit Plan
The County received $640,000 in federal grant funds from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning and the Illinois Department of Transportation Statewide Planning and Research program to prepare the Cook County Transit Plan. The plan will identify transit improvements and policy changes with the greatest potential for increasing ridership across all service providers operating in Cook County. It will also help define the County’s role in improving public transportation and promoting the increased use of public transit by workers, residents and visitors to Cook County. This analysis will ensure that the needs of the most transit-dependent and economically disadvantaged residents are addressed.
Southwest Cook County Trucking Study Statewide Planning and Research Program Grant Award
DoTH received an award of $224,000 in federal funds from the Illinois Department of Transportation’s Statewide Planning and Research program to complete a Southwest Cook County Trucking Study. The study will investigate truck mobility and investment needs in southwest Cook County, one of the major industrial and logistics clusters in northeastern Illinois. The study will identify significant vacant or underutilized industrial sites within the study area and the main challenges that prevent redevelopment of these sites. It will cover multiple suburban communities, including Bedford Park, Bridgeview, Burbank, Chicago Ridge, Countryside, Forest View, Hodgkins, Justice, Lyons, McCook, Stickney, Summit and Willow Springs, as well as portions of unincorporated Cook County.
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