In this economy, it can be tough to find money for car-free transportation projects. But in October, Governor Quinn announced that roughly $49 million in federal funds will go to state bicycling initiatives, largely in the Chicago area, via the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program. $2.8 million will go towards the Calumet-Sag Trail, a twenty-six-mile path paralleling the city’s southern border. The grant will also bankroll an expansion of the Burnham Greenway, the short-but-sweet multiuse path on the Southeast Side. And the CDOT will use ITEP funding to pilot a mile-long Dutch-style “cycle track,” separating bike traffic from cars, on South Stony Island Avenue.
Best of Chicago 2010