Evanston Gets $3M For Bike And Pedestrian Path Improvements

EVANSTON, IL — The Illinois Department of Transportation and Gov. JB Pritzker awarded Evanston $3 million in Transportation Enhancement Program funding to support bike lane and pedestrian safety improvements on Chicago Avenue.

The Chicago Avenue Multimodal Corridor Improvements project was one of 66 projects that were awarded funding, which totaled $139.2 million across all projects. The project will narrow lanes of traffic to create a two-way separated cycle track.

The project will stretch from Davis Street in downtown Evanston to the Chicago/Evanston municipal boundary at West Howard Street.

“Good exercise, lower costs and reduced environmental impact provided by bicycles have made them popular as long as I've lived in Evanston. Creating a separate bike track to directly link Evanston and Chicago is an affordable step to facilitate this positive lifestyle,” said state Rep. Robyn Gabel (D-Evanston). “Smart use of tax dollars will help our community thrive as we build a future powered by clean energy and sustainable living, and I'm happy to see practical progress like this.”

Construction for the project is expected to take place in 2027 and 2028 and aims to receive a total of $16 million in funding. City officials are also seeking a federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program grant that could provide more than $11 million, officials said at a news conference Wednesday.

The funding, which Gov. Pritzker said was the largest investment in the program's history, was made possible through Rebuild Illinois, which encompasses infrastructure improvements across the state.

“The Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program is a crucial part of Rebuild Illinois, helping make travel safer and more accessible in the communities that need it most,” Gov. Pritzker said."This is just one part of the state’s larger effort to reverse decades of disinvestment and create more connected communities.”