The Bloomington Pantagraph is reporting that funding delays may put two major bicycle trail projects in Illinois on hold — including the Route 66 Bikeway.
I've excerpted a chunk of the story here, but it looks like you can blame the state and Washington for the problems.
Officials expected IDOT to announce grants by late last year. In December, IDOT’s Web site warned of a delay until January.
Four months later, there’s still no word.
“We haven’t heard anything,” said Jeff Tracy, project manager with the McLean County Highway Department, who is involved in the Route 66 project.
IDOT spokesman Matt Vanover said Wednesday no decisions have made.
“It’s still going through the normal process,” Vanover said.
He declined to speculate when grants may be awarded.
About 40 percent to 50 percent of adults in Illinois say they ride bicycles, according to the Department of Natural Resources. Illinois boasts about 2,500 miles of bike paths.
Barsotti said the funding pinch results from a domino effect that begins in Washington, D.C. Congress passes a transportation bill to authorize the Federal Highway Administration to send a certain amount of money to the states each year.
When pressed to save money later, Congress cuts funding. As a result, the Federal Highway Administration must ask the states to return some cash, he said.
Illinois receives about $1 billion from the federal agency annually. Of that, 2.5 percent, or about $25 million, is earmarked for enhancements, such as bike paths and street beautification, Barsotti said.
In the past two years, IDOT has cut enhancement funds at a rate far higher than other programs, he said citing federal figures. Of $70 million returned in fiscal 2006, $11.6 million was taken enhancements, he said.
Barsotti noted that amount equaled a 45 percent cut, compared to reductions of 4.5 percent in other areas at IDOT. His statewide bike advocacy group fears bike paths will receive the same treatment this year when Illinois must return $40 million.
Barsotti thinks the enhancement fund becomes vulnerable because IDOT has been slow to dole out the money. As a result, the fund appears flush.