Reflecting on progress: Suburban cycling infrastructure improvements have come a long way

I didn’t forget nor am I ungrateful. But I owe apologies to planners, engineers, public works directors and advocates for neglecting to celebrate all the bicycling infrastructure improvements they’ve advanced in the past six years.

Reflecting recently on progress since this column launched in 2020, it was hard to include everything.

The 16 suburban bike/pedestrian plans in that time have spawned bike lanes, trail segments, bridges and other facilities. This happened despite pandemic-related delays and supply-chain disruptions in addition to the normal time needed to plan, design, acquire land/rights-of-way and construct.

Local, state and federal funds have supported these developments, accruing safety benefits to bicyclists and pedestrians. Projects have ranged from filling gaps between disconnected bike paths to bridging four-lane roadways connecting neighborhoods.

Completed projects are already in use, including the half-mile bike path in Rolling Meadows and the 2100-foot Streamwood span crossing Illinois Route 59. Some are ongoing with construction pending or already underway.

Elk Grove Village’s bridge over Arlington Heights Road will connect Busse Woods trail users with the Vue, a new residential/retail development. Mount Prospect is building a bridge between Melas Park and Meadows Park over four lanes of Northwest Highway and three Union Pacific Railroad tracks.

Funding for large projects has involved a combination of these three sources. While the prospect of local and state funding seems likely to continue, the outlook for federal sources seems uncertain.

Invest In Cook funding

In Cook County alone, 130 biking/pedestrian projects have been funded partially by Invest In Cook grants since 2020. In its 10th year, this source has, in effect, “primed the pump,” supporting early phases of projects with funding that has unlocked other follow-on grant opportunities.

Since its start in 2017, IIC has awarded nearly $81 million for 346 transportation-related projects; 180 are related to biking and walking improvements.

In Elk Grove Village, for example, a 2022 IIC grant ($125,000) helped fund construction of a 1,000-foot off-street bike path, closing a path gap on Oakton Street. In 2024, Prospect Heights received preliminary design/engineering funds ($36,000) for the Elmhurst Road Sidewalk Connectivity project.

Streamwood has received multiple IIC grants. In 2023, the village was awarded $500,000 in construction funds for the Illinois Route 59 Bicycle and Pedestrian Overpass project. This project included construction of a multiuse trail, boardwalks and a bridge connecting residential areas on both sides of Illinois Route 59. The bridge opened with an official dedication last October.

In 2025, Streamwood received a construction grant ($250,000) for multimodal improvements along Bartlett Road from Streamwood Boulevard to Streamwood Trail, including a 10-foot path in the west parkway. In August, Streamwood was one of nine municipalities to receive bike facility funding with a design engineering and construction grant ($296,000) for an Irving Park Road multiuse path.

Statewide funding

Every two years the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program has supported bike/pedestrian projects across Illinois. In 2020, over $100 million for 99 grants was awarded statewide, with 45 Chicago-area projects.

Awards ranged from $32,000 to $2 million that year. Elmhurst was awarded $198,000 for Phase II Engineering of its $3.37 million bicycle/pedestrian overpass and trail project, currently underway. Crossing Illinois Route 83, the 300-plus-foot span will enable access to the 30.6-mile Salt Creek Greenway Trail.

Rolling Meadows received a $963,360 grant for a 2500-foot bike path, completed in 2025, along Hicks Road and Euclid Avenue. It also involved storm sewers and curb and gutter work, solving local flooding issues.

Lake County’s Division of Transportation received a $2 million grant for stage 4 of the Patriot Path’s 5.5-mile off-road bike path (lakecountyil.gov/3460/Illinois-Route-137). Stage 4 stretches 1.5 miles from U.S. Route 41 east along Buckley Road (Illinois Route 137), terminating near North Chicago’s Great Lakes Navy Operational Support Center.

When completed, the 5.5-mile Patriot Path will connect the Independence Grove Forest Preserve near Libertyville to the Naval Station Great Lakes near Sheridan Road.

In 2024, Warrenville was awarded $3 million in ITEP funds for construction of a sidewalk and a multiuse path along the east and west sides of Illinois Route 59. That same year, Algonquin received $1.2 million to construct a 1.16-mile multiuse path and sidewalk along Sandbloom Road.

In Mount Prospect, the Melas-Meadows Pedestrian Bridge is a $12.4-million project underway with local, state and federal sources funding 87% of the cost, including ITEP and Invest In Cook grants. Construction of the 206-foot bridge spanning Northwest Highway (U.S. Route 14) and Union Pacific Railroad tracks is ongoing through fall 2027, according to the village’s September newsletter.

Federal outlook uncertain

Looking ahead, federal funding of biking infrastructure seems uncertain. As I reported earlier, President Trump’s January 2025 executive order “Unleashing American Energy” called for a U.S. Department of Transportation review of biking infrastructure projects. Section 7 required all agencies to “immediately pause the disbursement of funds appropriated through the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 or the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act,” legislation that funded biking and pedestrian improvements.

More recently, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s July 22 letter to key U.S. Senate committees prioritized motor vehicle travel over bicycle lanes when reauthorizing surface transportation legislation.

Duffy wrote, “We urge Congress to restrict competitive and formula grant funding for bicycle lanes and other bicycle infrastructure that reduce travel throughput for motor vehicles and support removal of existing bike lanes that contribute to congestion.”

Congress has extended surface transportation programs through Dec. 11 via continuing resolution that also maintained government funding past Oct. 1. Bicycle-related funding will be decided when surface transportation spending is reauthorized.

• Join the ride. Contact Ralph Banasiak at alongfortheridemail@gmail.com.