RTA Presents Proposed 2016 Community Planning Program of Projects

September 10, 2015

Public Comment Period Open for Communities and Service Boards That May Receive Awards in 2016

The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) today presented the eight proposed recipients of planning assistance or funding through the 2016 Community Planning Program, which includes five regional municipalities, one county division of transportation and CTA and Pace.  The 2016 program is scheduled to allocate $880,000 in federal, RTA and local funds to successful projects.  This is the 18^th annual Community Planning Project award year; over this time, the regional transit oversight agency has allocated nearly $20 million in federal, RTA and local funds for 180 projects throughout the region through this program.

Applicants whose projects are being recommended for inclusion in the program include:  Village of Olympia Fields; Village of Calumet Park; City of Des Plaines; City of Chicago; Village of Morton Grove; DuPage County Division of Transportation; CTA and Pace.

In May, the RTA invited local governments in its six-county region and the Service Boards - CTA, Metra and Pace - to apply for funding and planning assistance for projects that benefit local communities and the regional transit system.

Eligible projects must be located on the regional transit system and be either implementation focused, such as zoning code updates or improving access to transit, or planning focused, such as a transit-oriented development (TOD) plan.   Projects must also advance the implementation of the GO TO 2040 Plan and Regional Transit Strategic Plan.

Public comments on the proposed recipient projects can be submitted on the RTA website until October 2.    The final program of projects will be presented at the October meeting of the  RTA Board of Directors.  Successful applicants are expected to be notified in November. 

Learn more about the 2016 Community Planning Program by visiting www.RTAChicago.org/cp.

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About the RTA

The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) is the only transit agency charged with regional financial oversight, funding, and transit planning for the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Metra and Pace bus and paratransit.    Riders take more than two million trips each weekday on the RTA region’s transit system in six counties with 7,200 transit route miles throughout Northeastern Illinois.  The Agency also provides customer services including online and telephone travel planning assistance and travel training for seniors and people with disabilities.  For more information, visit www.RTAchicago.org.