McLean County’s project to extend the Route 66 Bike Trail hit a roadblock in September, but a nearly $2 million state grant means it's moving again.
This trail project extends the trail along a 9-mile stretch within the county near Towanda, heading north to the Livingston County line near Chenoa.
The nearly $1.9 million award, which the McLean County Board announced during its meeting on Thursday, comes from the Illinois Department of Transportation [IDOT] Local Project Funding Grant Program.
It's a highly competitive program — IDOT received nearly 2,000 applications from across the state, board member Lea Cline told the board.
“So, we are particularly honored that this project was selected for support,” she said.
Part of the money replaces a $675,000 federal grant withdrawn in September. That lost federal funding was intended to cover Phase 1 engineering and environmental review. The newly announced state grant will cover that, and the remaining $1.2 million will fund Phase 2 design, plans and specifications for the remaining 9 miles of the trail, according to Cline, who chairs the board’s land use and transportation committee.
This major project completes the 47 miles of trail that span southwest and northern McLean County. A mix of on and off-road trails exist across Illinois from Chicago to East St. Louis. The McLean County portions are designated sections of Constitution Trail. The project promotes active transportation, safety, and rural economic development along Route 66, she said.
“While this new grant moves us forward, we also hope that our federal partners will continue to explore ways to help fund the final construction phases of this trail, by seeking funding to replace the grant rescinded last month by the federal government,” Cline said.
In September, the board learned the planned stretch in McLean County would no longer be receiving a federal Department of Transportation [DOT] grant. The agency sent a letter to the county Sept. 9 stating the project — which was approved for federal funding in June 2024 — no longer aligned with department priorities.
One federal priority cited in the letter was multimodal grant programs on projects that promote vehicular travel. The other priority was “ensuring that taxpayer dollars are used efficiently in ways that maximally benefit the American people and improve their quality of life.”
Board member Krystle Able attended Thursday's meeting remotely, and members Corey Beirne and Mike O’Neil were absent.
Zoning change for keeping chicken coops
More McLean County property owners will be allowed to keep chickens, after Thursday’s unanimous vote loosening rules for yard setbacks.
The board OK’d reducing the required setback from interior lot lines from 150 feet to 30 feet — an 80 % change.
The new rules allow for the chicken run to reach the property line.
With rising egg costs, more people are interested in keeping chickens, according to materials provided to the board. However, because most R-1 lots are 200 feet or smaller, few of those families could invest in home chicken coops.
A lot that houses a chicken coop must be at least ¼ acre, or about 11,000 square feet, have single ownership with the owner living at the home, and have a detached single-family dwelling. The new rule only allows coops for personal use, not commercial sales.
No roosters are allowed. The maximum number of hens range from 4 to 20, depending on lot size.
The change only applies to hen chickens. Any structure sheltering other livestock still requires a minimum 150-foot setback from property lines.
Also at the meeting, the board:
- Heard a presentation about Career Link from David Taylor, a performance manager with the nonprofit that administers federal job training programs. Before he spoke, board chair Elizabeth Johnston said the impact of Career Link is an often unrecognized resource for low-income adults, dislocated workers and young adults, in the community. Taylor told the board the center is free to use, and open to the public. Anyone can access the education, training and employment assistance services there, he said. Career Link’s McLean County resource center is at 705 E. Lincoln Street, Normal.
WGLT reporter Braden Fogerson contributed to this report.
