20 ILCS 2705/2705-321
2021 Illinois Compiled Statutes|Chapter 20 - EXECUTIVE BRANCH|20 ILCS 2705/ - Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. (Department of Transportation Law)|Article 2705 - Department Of Transportation

Sec. 2705-321. Illinois Transit Ridership and Economic Development (TRED)  Pilot Project Program; new facilities and service.(a) Subject to appropriation, the Department of Transportation shall establish the Illinois Transit  Ridership and Economic Development (TRED) Pilot Project Program to build  transit systems that more effectively address the needs of Illinois workers,  families, and businesses. The Illinois TRED Pilot Project Program shall provide  for new or expanded mass transportation service and facilities, including rapid  transit,  rail, bus, and other equipment used in connection with mass transit, by the  State, a public  entity, or 2 or more of these entities authorized to provide and promote public  transportation in order to increase the level of service available in local  communities, as well as improve the quality of life and economic viability of  the State of Illinois.The Illinois TRED Pilot Project Program expenditures for mass transportation  service and facilities within the State must:(1) Improve the economic viability of Illinois by     facilitating the transportation of Illinois residents to places of employment, to educational facilities, and to commercial, medical, and shopping districts.(2) Increase the frequency and reliability of public     transit service.(3) Facilitate the movement of all persons, including     those persons who, because of age, economic circumstance, or physical infirmity, are unable to drive.(4) Contribute to an improved environment through the     reduction of air, water, and noise pollution.(b) Under the Illinois TRED Pilot Project Program, subject to appropriation, the Department shall fund  each fiscal year, in coordination and consultation with other government  agencies that provide or fund transportation  services, the Illinois Public Transportation Association, and transit  advocates,  projects as specified in subsection (c). Total funding for each project shall  not  exceed $500,000 and the funding for all projects shall not exceed $4,500,000.  The  Department shall submit annual reports to the General Assembly by March 1 of  each  fiscal year regarding the status of these projects, including service to  constituents  including local businesses, seniors, and people with disabilities, costs, and  other  appropriate measures of impact.(c) Subject to appropriation, the Department shall make grants to any of the following in order to create:(1) Two demonstration projects for the Chicago     Transit Authority to increase services to currently underserved communities and neighborhoods, such as, but not limited to,   Altgeld Gardens, Pilsen, and Lawndale.(2) (Blank.)(3) The Intertownship Transportation Program for     Northwest Suburban Cook County, which shall complement existing Pace service and involve cooperation of several townships to provide transportation services for senior residents and residents with disabilities across village and township boundaries that is currently not provided by Pace and by individual townships and municipalities.(4) RIDES transit services to Richland and Lawrence     Counties to extend transit services into Richland and Lawrence Counties and enhance service in Wayne, Edwards, and Wabash Counties that share common travel patterns and needs with Lawrence and Richland counties. Funding shall be used to develop a route structure that shall coordinate social service and general public requirements and obtain vehicles to support the additional service.(5) Peoria Regional Transportation Initiative, which     shall fund the development of a plan to create a regional transportation service in the Peoria-Pekin MSA that integrates and expands the existing services and that would allow local leaders to develop a funding plan and a timetable to secure final political approval. The plan is intended to facilitate regional economic development and provide greater mobility to workers, senior citizens, and people with disabilities.(6) Rock Island MetroLINK/Black Hawk College     Coordination Project, which shall increase mobility for lower income students to access educational services and job training on the metropolitan bus system, which will better link community college students with transportation alternatives.(7) The West Central Transit District to serve Scott     and Morgan Counties.  Funding shall be used to develop a route structure that shall coordinate social service and general public requirements and obtain vehicles to support the service.(8) Additional community college coordination     projects, which shall increase mobility for lower income students to access educational services and job training on any Champaign-Urbana MTD and Danville Mass Transit bus routes, which will better link community college students with transportation alternatives.  (Source: P.A. 99-143, eff. 7-27-15.)