CMAP is accepting funding applications for surface transportation projects from Friday, January 8, through Friday, March 5. This call for projects will lead to local and regional transportation investments that advance the region's long-range plan, ON TO 2050, and help northeastern Illinois communities prosper.

CMAP programs funding for these projects through three federal sources, including: the regional Surface Transportation Program (STP) Shared Fund, Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ), and the locally programmed Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP-L). Projects may address safety, transit, bicycle, or pedestrian improvements, as well as traffic and freight movement, bridge and road reconstruction, and vehicles and equipment that use alternative fuel sources.

Learn about the transportation money CMAP programs in our latest video.

Groups interested in submitting applications to CMAP for surface transportation projects are welcome to attend an upcoming informational webinar. CMAP staff will walk through how to submit applications via the eTIP website for the STP Shared, CMAQ, and TAP-L programs. Please make plans to join us at 10:00 a.m. Friday, January 15, for the webinar. To RSVP, visit the call for projects webpage.

"My degree is in civil engineering, but I ended up going into planning. If I had gone down the traditional engineering path, I would not have been able to have the same close contact with local leaders and direct impact on the transportation system so early in my career.

"I started working at a metropolitan planning organization (MPO) in Florida before eventually landing at CMAP, the MPO for northeastern Illinois. I believe in the MPO process — the notion that federal transportation funding decisions should be made at the local and regional level.

"In 2019, we completed the first call for projects for the new regional Surface Transportation Program Shared Fund. I spent much of this year evaluating the results from that call for projects, looking to see if we met our goals and to find ways we could improve it for the January 2021 call for projects. Did we do enough? Did we reach who we wanted to reach?"

Kama led the agency through the redesign of the Surface Transportation Program to promote a more equitable, performance-based distribution of funding throughout the region. Outside of work, she takes advantage of all the seven counties have to offer, like forest preserves, theater venues, restaurants, and more. 

The CMAP Board meets next on Wednesday, January 13, from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. via Zoom. Find the agenda and link on the meeting materials page.

Village officials in Brookfield selected a firm to lead its Ogden Avenue corridor study, which is expected to launch early this year. The corridor study builds on recommendations in Brookfield's comprehensive plan. The plan, adopted in 2018, was developed through CMAP's Local Technical Assistance program. The Ogden study team will gather input from community members, evaluate land use priorities and redevelopment opportunities, and create a vision for Ogden Avenue.

In late December, the Illinois Housing Development Authority approved $10 million in Strong Communities Program funding for affordable housing and community revitalization efforts. Of the 68 grants awarded, 18 went to local governments and land bank authorities in the seven counties of northeastern Illinois. This funding will allow the awardees to acquire, maintain, rehabilitate, and demolish abandoned residential property in their communities. Read more about the grants in the press release.

The Illinois Department of Transportation's Bureau of Safety Programs and Engineering posted notice of funding opportunities for five highway safety programs: Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Program, Motorcycle Awareness Program, Non-Enforcement Program, Traffic Records Local Agency Program, and Sustained Traffic Enforcement Program. Applications close on Wednesday, February 3, at 4:00 p.m. Find the applications and other materials on the Illinois Traffic Safety Grants webpage.

Tropical Reefs to Ice Sheets: Geology of Northeastern Illinois
Forest Preserves of Cook County
January 9, 2021
10:00 to 11:30 a.m.
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Urban Wildlife of Cook County
Blue Island Public Library
January 12, 2021
6:00 p.m.
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CMAP Regional Transportation Funding Programs: How to Submit an Application
CMAP
January 15, 2021
10:00 a.m. to noon
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History of the Forest Preserves: Deer Grove
Forest Preserves of Cook County
Jaunary 15, 2021
6:30 to 7:00 p.m.
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Visioning Workshop for the Fox River Corridor Plan
McHenry County, City of McHenry, and CMAP
January 19, 2021
2:00 to 4:00 p.m.
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Visioning Workshop for the Fox River Corridor Plan
McHenry County, City of McHenry, and CMAP
January 21, 2021
6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
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