The Historic Route 66 Bikeway in McLean County, Illinois, this week won a $1.92 million grant from an Illinois Department of Transportation program to extend the bicycle path another 1.1 miles.
According to a document from the agency, the grant aims to extend the bikeway from south of Shirley, Illinois, to Funks Grove, Illinois.
The the biking, jogging and hiking trail along Route 66 would be lengthened to a total of 16.5 miles from Towanda, Illinois, through the Blomington-Normal metro area and south to Shirley and Funks Grove, the Bloomington Pantagraph reported.
The McLean County Board approved engineering work for the bicycle path’s expansion last June, the newspaper said.
The path is part of the Route 66 Trail Guide.
The state awarded 53 grants this week totaling $36 million.
Data from the Adventure Cycling Association show cyclists spend 40 percent more than typical tourists. The association a few years ago published a series of maps that guide cyclists across the length of Route 66.