The federal government has approved funding to extend the Historic Route 66 Bike and Pedestrian Trail in northern McLean County.
The Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant program is awarding $675,000 to plan and design the final nine miles of the 47-mile trail. The program is administered through the U.S. Department of Transportation [DOT].
The project will extend the trail from Lexington north of Bloomington-Normal to the Livingston County line near Chenoa.
DOT says the project will consist of separate bicycle and pedestrian facilities to accommodate different types of transportation and will decrease vehicle miles traveled by encouraging active transportation.
An official start date for the project has not been announced.
The bike trail is one of five Illinois projects set to receive funding through RAISE, which announced grants for 148 projects across the country.
“After decades of under investment, the condition of America’s infrastructure is now finally getting better instead of worse,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement.
RAISE also has approved $1.2 million to study the feasibility of a new bus service to connect Bloomington-Normal to Peoria.
