The Illinois Department of Transportation on Wednesday awarded $2.16 million in grants for bicycle and walking trails along Route 66 in Williamsville and McLean County.
The two projects were part of 33 statewide that received grants from the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program, slated for “biking and walking paths, trails, streetscape beautification work and other projects designed to encourage safe travel across the various modes of transportation at the local level.”
According to a spreadsheet from the agency, these two projects associated with Route 66 received the following grants:
- Village of Williamsville, $2 million for Heritage Route 66 Trail
- McLean County, $160,000, Historic Route 66 Bikeway, 1.1 miles south of Shirley to Funks Grove
Litchfield, Illinois, also received a $1.93 million grant, but it is for streetscaping in the downtown area, away from Route 66.
According to the Village of Sherman’s website, the Heritage Route 66 Trail that connects Williamsville is 4.5 miles and would be a part of the Route 66 Trail for cyclists.
Interest in cycling the length of Route 66 has grown in recent years, prompting the Adventure Cycling Association to produce map set to guide pedalers down the Mother Road.
(Excerpt from a cycling Route 66 video)