Grant opportunity: Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) will be accepting applications for the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program (ITEP) beginning on August 21, 2020 with the deadline for application submittals on November 2, 2020.

Several changes have taken place since the last call for projects:

1. Additional state funding is being set-aside for the ITEP program for projects in the categories of bike and pedestrian facilities as well as the conversion of abandoned railroad corridors to trails.

2. Local agencies may be eligible for state funds to be used towards their match of federal funds.

3. An Interactive GIS map will be used to determine the My Community Map score.

Click here for more information, webinars and the application process.

Approximately $80 million in federal and state funding will be awarded in the next ITEP cycle. The call for projects will be open from August 21 to November 2, 2020, with awards expected to be announced in March 2021. The maximum per-project award is $2 million. A minimum 20% local match is required for engineering and construction phases and 50% for right-of-way and easement acquisition, unless the applicant qualifies for state matching funds based on high-need criteria. Additional information is available in the NOFO and on IDOT’s ITEP web page.

The Active Transportation Alliance, in partnership with the Illinois Public Health Institute held the first of three webinars to assist communities with preparing ITEP applications.

If you missed it, you can view a recording and download the presentation slides. The remaining webinars are: Webinar 2: ITEP Application Walk-Through and Project Scoring – Wednesday, Aug 26. Register here. Webinar 3: Final Guidance/Q&A on Project Proposals – Wednesday, Oct 21. Register here.