FEATURE ARTICLE

Few will disagree that bike trails are wonderful additions to a community. Yet, like any capital improvement, they aren't free. Fortunately, there are numerous sources of funding for these kinds of improvements. Hopeful agencies should be aware that the grant application process and the planning and designing process varies widely for different programs. This article will help guide the applicants through the three most popular sources and address the differences in the programs.

It's important to realize, too, that every project is different. For example, with longer bikeways, an agency may have several partners that have jurisdiction over different segments of the trail and with which the agency may need to (and should) cooperate. Perhaps more importantly, however, is that certain projects are more appropriate for particular funding sources. And, certain funding sources are more appropriate (or cash-friendly) for some agencies and their respective budgetary strengths.

For example, agencies need to especially be aware of the cash flow requirements necessary to support larger projects. Its great to think that the local share of a $500,000 project might only be $50,000 (assume 80 percent Illinois Department of Transportation and 10 percent Illinois Department of Natural Resources), but it's another thing to ask your board to support the month-to-month costs of engineering and then construction of your project. Some of the pizzazz evaporates when you get into the realities of the local share or actual cash flow.

The Lost Bridge Trail Example

When I chaired the Rochester, Illinois, park board, everyone was gung-ho for an extension of the Lost Bridge Trail until they considered local share and cash-flow requirements. We managed to convince the board to proceed, but only after many hours spent producing a spreadsheet that shows each step of the project and the cash outlay and reimbursement schedule for each month, then a serious presentation to the village board.

It helped that with Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT-funded) projects, IDOT pays the contractor directly and bills the local agency for its 20 percent. The Rochester board would have choked at the thought of paying out $100,000 a month for four months straight during the construction phase, and then waiting for reimbursement.

Another fact in our favor was that the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) funds could be used to provide 50 percent of the local match. In the case of the Lost Bridge Trail Extension, IDNR funds were anticipated to pay for $50,000 of the $100,000 local share.

Some agencies may not have to worry about cash flow, but many do. The spreadsheet helped in several ways. It showed the board that the bigger expenditures would be a year or two (or more) away and they could budget for the expenses and certainly know when reimbursement would occur. The board had just completed an IDNR Open Space Lands Aquisition and Development (OSLAD) project and were waiting for completion of the project and reimbursement; they were gun-shy about the outstanding cash outlay and were annoyed about the delayed reimbursement because the project hadn't been wrapped up. Again, every agency will have different expectations and it's important to know what to expect.

Great Expectations

When I worked at the Illinois Department of Transportation and federal ISTEA funds were first available, the differences between IDOT and IDNR funding sources and implementation processes quickly became apparent. IDNR had been in the bike trail business for nearly a decade and many agencies were

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TOP 3 BIKEWAY GRANT PROGRAM COMPARISON
Programs of the Ill.Dept. of Natural Resources and the Ill.Dept. of Transportation

	IDNR Bike Path Grant Program	IDOT Transportation Enhancement Program	IDOT Chicago Area Transportation Study (CMAQ)
Contact	Ill.Dept. of Natural Resources Div. of Grant Management One Natural Resources Way Springfield, IL 62702 217.782.7481	Ill.Dept. of Transportation 2300 South Dirksen Parkway, Room 307 Springfield, IL 62764 217.782.8695	Chicago Area Transportation Study CMAQ Program 300 W. Adams, 2nd Floor Chicago, IL 60606 312.793.3474
Funding source	Illinois Bike Path Grant Program (Illinois vehicle title funds)	Federal Transportation Enhancement funds	Federal transportation funds - Congestion Mitigation & Air Quality (CMAQ)
Application cycles	Annually, March 1 deadline	Generally annually with a Nov. 1 deadline; next cycle is 2004	Annually, generally March deadline
Project $ limitations	$200,000 maximum state share for development; no $ cap for land acquisition	No limitations on initial submittal; subsequent changes limited	No established caps
Program size	$3-5m/year (bicycle projects only)	$150+m over 6 years (bike projects compete w/other types)	Approx. $50-70m/year (bike projects compete w/other types)
Eligible sponsor	Local government, park districts, conservation districts,	Local government or state agencies	Local government or state agencies
$ Participation %	50% local, 50% state	20% local, 80% federal	20% local, 80% federal
Consultation selection	Locals select firm based on experience and past involvement	Locals select firm based on experience and past involvement	Locals select firm based on experience and past involvement
Consultant qualifications	Experience with bikeways recommended	Experience with IDOT process and bikeways recommended	Experience with IDOT process and bikeways recommended
Environmental review	Local coordination w/IDNR sign-off	Federal process is more complex	Federal process is more complex
Design standards	8" min width; more local control	AASHTO/IDOT Local Roads Bikeway Policy	AASHTO/IDOT Local Roads Bikeway Policy
Design review approval	Local control, IDNR may request plan review	IDOT oversight/approval; engineer-sealed plans	IDOT oversight/approval engineer-sealed plans
Lettings	Local	State (IDOT) (more stringent rules)	State (IDOT) (more stringent rues)
Who pays engineering bills?	Locals pay 100%, IDNR reimburses 50%	Locals pay, IDOT reimburses 80%	Locals pay, IDOT reimburses 80%
Who pays construction bills?	Locals pay 100%, IDNR reimburses 50%	IDOT pays contractor, bills locals 20% share	IDOT pays contractor, bills locals 20% share
Deadlines	Two construction seasons	Subject to periodic progress review by IDOT	Subject to annual review of the CATS CMAQ committee
Eligible projects	1. Land acquisition 2. Bike path development or renovation	1. Facilities for bicycles and pedestrians 2. Rails to trails conversions 3. Safety and educational programs for bicycles and pedestrians 4. Historic preservation and rehabilitation of historic transportation buildings, structures, facilities	1. Bicycle and pedestrian facilities (recreational trails not eligible) 2. Bicycle parking lots 3. Transit improvements, including systems start up, transfer facilities and facility improvements 4. Traffic flow improvements, including intersection improvements, bottleneck elimination and signal interconnections 5. Bus and bus engine replacements 6. Commuter parking lots 7. Other projects which result in vehicle emissions

— compiled by Craig Williams

20 Illinois Parks and Recreation

familiar (and happy) with the process. IDNR allowed projects to be implemented on the local level, with minimal oversight. Plans were drawn intended for a local letting. When the projects were complete, IDNR would reimburse the agency for 50 percent of the cost. Everyone understood the process and IDNR was very good with coaching the grant recipients about the process.

CELEBRATE NATIONAL TRAILS DAY June 1, 2000 Join in National Trails Day celebrations held nationwide on June 1, 2002, organized by the American Hiking Society. National Trails Day is a chance for your organization or agency to form new partnerships, showcase a recent accomplishment or milestone, and raise your community's awareness of hiking trails. Year 2002 marks the 10th anniversary of National Trails Day—that's ten years of celebrating, building, maintaining, and recognizing trails in America. For more information, go to www.americanhiking.org.

As soon as the ISTEA funds were available, however, many agencies clamored for the new IDOT money, mainly because there were no limits on the funding available; the federal share was 80 percent, and there was a lot of demand with many large projects on the shelves waiting for the cash. Agencies lined up at the door, and the first round of enhancement funding, even with approximately $70 million available, saw some $300 million worth of projects submitted.

In brief, the ISTEA funds brought together many new partners and allowed many projects to be built that might never have happened. In retrospect, however, the learning curve was steep for all parties involved. IDOT learned about working with park districts and with bikeway projects as other new projects. Local agencies learned how to hire consultants who understood the federal highway process that these new projects had to follow. They learned that the process was more complicated, more elongated and expensive than it was with IDNR. Consultants that were familiar with the highway process learned how to design bikeways. Projects ended up costing more (sometimes much more) than originally anticipated. We all know more now.

Almost ten years later, the demand for bikeways continues to grow, and funding for bikeways is available from more sources. Each, however, has different rules and caveats. Hopefully, this summary will provide some understanding of the three most popular programs and speed-up your agency's learning curve.

CRAIG WILLIAMS is a principal planner for Edwards and Kelcey, specializing in bikeway and trail planning and design. Williams was the bikeway coordinator for the Illinois Dept. of Transportation for nine years prior to joining Edwards and Kelcey in 2000. Contact Williams at cwilliamsSekmail.com or 312.251. 3000.

Williams is developing a bike trail funding pocket guide in cooperation with the Ilinois Association of Park Districts, scheduled for release this summer. Look for more information in the July/August issue of Illinois Parks & Recreation magazine.

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