Leveraging Invest in Cook Program

About the Program

Category: Transportation (Best in Category)

Year: 2020

Connecting Cook County, Cook County’s Long Range Transportation Plan, was adopted in 2016, and is Cook County’s first strategic transportation plan in over 75 years. In 2017, the Department of Transportation and Highways established Invest in Cook, a key implementation activity of the plan, to solicit applications for improvements consistent with the five priorities of Connecting Cook County: prioritize transit and other transportation alternatives; support the region’s role as North America’s freight capital; promote equal access to opportunities; maintain and modernize what already exists; and increase investments in transportation. Invest in Cook is a formal process that local and regional governments and private partners can use to apply for up to $8.5 million dollars in transportation funds. The funds are used to cover the cost of planning and feasibility studies, engineering, and construction. The first three years of the program awarded nearly $23 million dollars across 99 projects, which advanced $68 million of infrastructure improvements across Cook County through the leverage of local, state and federal funds. Invest in Cook ensures that limited resources are spent wisely by identifying the universe of transportation proposals and prioritizing them using objective and transparent selection criteria. Just as important, it strengthens the partnerships and strategic matching of funding from various sources to expedite the completion of projects vital to a stronger economy and more livable communities.