Invest In Cook
2023 Recipients Announced
The Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways announced the list of 37 projects that will receive funding under the 2023 ‘Invest in Cook’ grant program. A total of $7,752,161 will be distributed across 33 municipalities, two park districts and two townships; these grants will fund three transit, 10 pedestrian, nine bicycle, two freight, and 13 road projects.
Click here to view the complete list of 2023 projects and recipients.
This is the seventh year Invest in Cook grant funding has been awarded for transportation-related projects. In its seven years, Invest in Cook has awarded $56.4 million in grants for a total of 243 awards throughout Cook County.
About Invest in Cook
Invest in Cook grants help municipalities further their transportation projects by covering the cost of planning, engineering, right-of-way acquisition and construction associated with transportation improvements sponsored by local governments and private partners. Past projects funded by Invest in Cook have gone on to receive $3.00 of local, state or federal funding for every $1.00 of Invest in Cook awards. This program is designed to solicit applications for improvements consistent with the five priorities of Connecting Cook County, the County’s first long-range transportation plan in 75 years, which guides how the County invests in transportation to attract and retain businesses, people, capital and talent. Invest in Cook grants advance the Vital Communities, Sustainable Communities and Smart Communities priorities laid out in the Cook County Policy Roadmap.
Invest in Cook seeks projects consistent with the priorities detailed in Connecting Cook County that:
- 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
- Increase investments in transportation
DoTH staff evaluate and score proposals using publicly available, performance-based criteria. A qualitative assessment consisting of staff reviews of applications and applicant interviews complement the quantitative assessments.