(20 ILCS 2705/2705-321)

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.)