$760 Million in Transportation Grants Coming Soon; South Side Chicago Projects Not Included

Illinois, Cook County, and city of Chicago officials were disappointed in their first effort to attract FASTLANE funding authorized by the U.S Department Transportation

1 minute read

July 27, 2016, 7:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


"Local transportation and rail officials will have to look for a new pot of money to untangle car and rail traffic on Chicago's South Side after the federal government rejected a $110 million grant request," reports Mary Wisniewski.

The Illinois Department of Transportation, Cook County, the city of Chicago, and the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning applied for a FASTLANE grant "to create grade separations at Archer and Kenton avenues, 95th Street and Eggleston Avenue, and Columbus and Maplewood avenues," with the goal of building "underpasses or overpasses to separate cars from freight traffic."

In another outstanding act of federal acronym creation, FASTLANE stands for Fostering Advancements in Shipping and Transportation for the Long-term Achievement of National Efficiencies. The FASTLANE grants were created as part of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, approved in December 2015. As for projects that will receive some of the grant money, Wisniewski reports that "DOT picked 18 projects from other states out of 212 applications for a total of about $760 million. Awards will be announced after a 60-day congressional review period."

Sunday, July 24, 2016 in Chicago Tribune

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

June 11, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Rendering of Shirley Chisholm Village four-story housing development with person biking in front.

San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning

SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.

June 8, 2025 - Fast Company

Yellow single-seat Japanese electric vehicle drivign down road.

The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs

The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.

June 6, 2025 - PC Magazine

People riding bicycles on separated bike trail.

With Protected Lanes, 460% More People Commute by Bike

For those needing more ammo, more data proving what we already knew is here.

30 minutes ago - UNM News

Bird's eye view of half-circle suburban street with large homes.

In More Metros Than You’d Think, Suburbs are Now More Expensive Than the City

If you're moving to the burbs to save on square footage, data shows you should think again.

2 hours ago - Investopedia

Color-coded map of labor & delivery departments and losses in United States.

The States Losing Rural Delivery Rooms at an Alarming Pace

In some states, as few as 9% of rural hospitals still deliver babies. As a result, rising pre-term births, no adequate pre-term care and "harrowing" close calls are a growing reality.

June 15 - Maine Morning Star