The U.S. Department of Transportation yanked an awarded $675,000 grant to help plan and design the final three segments of the 47-mile Historic Route 66 Bike/Pedestrian Trail in the Bloomington-Normal area of Illinois.
The grant was awarded more than a year ago, but the USDOT apparently reconsidered.
The Bloomington Pantagraph reports:
According to a letter from USDOT sent Tuesday, the project is inconsistent with the department’s priorities of utilizing multimodal grant programs for projects that promote vehicular travel and ensuring that taxpayers’ dollars are used efficiently in ways that maximally benefit the American people and improve their quality of life.
Since 2009, more than $11 million has been invested in designing and building 15.2 miles of the trail. Previous grant funding has been secured through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program and other sources.
However, the project would be largely completed following the completion of a 2.9-mile stretch from the northern terminus of the trail to Lexington, a 5-mile stretch connecting Lexington and Chenoa and a 1.2-mile stretch from Chenoa to the Livingston County line.
McLean County Board member Lea Cline said the trail had wide bipartisan support to boost tourism, especially with Route 66’s centennial next year.
She also said it would improve safety, noting six accidents involving bicyclists or pedestrians in five years that have occurred in the area.
According to WGLT radio, Patrick Dullard, president of the Friends of the Constitution Trail, urged U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood to continue his long-stated support for the project by using alternative federal funding.
Dullard also demanded that state officials and legislators to support funding the final segments of this regional project through the recent Illinois Department of Transportation Local Projects Initiative application or other sources.
(Image of a bicycle crossing over a Route 66 shield painted on a road)