093_HB2587eng HB2587 Engrossed LRB093 06483 JAM 06608 b 1 AN ACT concerning the Department of Transportation. 2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 3 represented in the General Assembly: 4 Section 5. The Department of Transportation Law of the 5 Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is amended by adding 6 Section 2705-321 as follows: 7 (20 ILCS 2705/2705-321 new) 8 Sec. 2705-321. Illinois Transit Ridership and Economic 9 Development (TRED) Pilot Project Program; new facilities and 10 service. 11 (a) The Department of Transportation shall establish the 12 Illinois Transit Ridership and Economic Development (TRED) 13 Pilot Project Program to build transit systems that more 14 effectively address the needs of Illinois workers, families, 15 and businesses. The Illinois TRED Pilot Project Program shall 16 provide for new or expanded mass transportation service and 17 facilities, including rapid transit, rail, bus, and other 18 equipment used in connection with mass transit, by the State, 19 a public entity, or 2 or more of these entities authorized to 20 provide and promote public transportation in order to 21 increase the level of service available in local communities, 22 as well as improve the quality of life and economic viability 23 of the State of Illinois. 24 The Illinois TRED Pilot Project Program expenditures for 25 mass transportation service and facilities within the State 26 must: 27 (1) Improve the economic viability of Illinois by 28 facilitating the transportation of Illinois residents to 29 places of employment, to educational facilities, and to 30 commercial, medical, and shopping districts. 31 (2) Increase the frequency and reliability of HB2587 Engrossed -2- LRB093 06483 JAM 06608 b 1 public transit service. 2 (3) Facilitate the movement of all persons, 3 including those persons who, because of age, economic 4 circumstance, or physical infirmity, are unable to drive. 5 (4) Contribute to an improved environment through 6 the reduction of air, water, and noise pollution. 7 (b) Under the Illinois TRED Pilot Project Program, the 8 Department shall fund in fiscal year 2004, in coordination 9 and consultation with other government agencies that provide 10 or fund transportation services, the Illinois Public 11 Transportation Association, and transit advocates, projects 12 as specified in subsection (c). Total funding for each 13 project shall not exceed $500,000 and the funding for all 14 projects shall not exceed $3,000,000. The Department shall 15 submit annual reports to the General Assembly by March 1 of 16 each fiscal year regarding the status of these projects, 17 including service to constituents including local businesses, 18 seniors, and people with disabilities, costs, and other 19 appropriate measures of impact. 20 (c) The Department shall make grants to create: 21 (1) The Altgeld Gardens - Ford Supplier Park 22 Rush-hour service, which shall provide rush-hour-only 23 service (6:00 AM to 10:00 AM and 3:00 PM to 7:30 PM) that 24 shall start at 130th Street and State Street and go 25 directly to Altgeld Gardens (stopping at the store in the 26 center of Altgeld Gardens), then leave Altgeld Gardens 27 and go directly to the Ford supplier park on 130th 28 Street, then to 130th and Torrence Avenue (the Ford 29 production plant), then north on Torrence Avenue with at 30 least one stop close to Washington High School, then to 31 the shopping plaza at 95th Street and Stony Island. After 32 completing its route, the bus shall turn around and go 33 back on the same route. Service shall be every 20 34 minutes. HB2587 Engrossed -3- LRB093 06483 JAM 06608 b 1 (2) The Pilsen/Lawndale Demonstration Project, 2 which consists of the following: 3 (A) Pilsen Commercial route, which shall 4 create weekday bus service to support the 16th and 5 18th street commercial district. Service shall begin 6 at Cicero and Cermak and proceed along 16th Street 7 and then 18th Street to Michigan Ave. This service 8 shall run on weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. 9 and then from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. 10 (B) Lawndale-to-the-Loop Rush hour express 11 route, which shall create an extended rush-hour-only 12 express service (4:00 a.m to 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. 13 to 10:00 p.m.), starting at Pulaski and Cermak and 14 traveling along Ogden and Polk with limited stops 15 between Pulaski, the Medical District, and the 16 Chicago Loop. 17 (3) The Intertownship Transportation Program for 18 Northwest Suburban Cook County, which shall complement 19 existing Pace service and involve cooperation of several 20 townships to provide transportation services for senior 21 and disabled residents across village and township 22 boundaries that is currently not provided by Pace and by 23 individual townships and municipalities. 24 (4) RIDES transit services to Richland and Lawrence 25 Counties to extend transit services into Richland and 26 Lawrence Counties and enhance service in Wayne, Edwards, 27 and Wabash Counties that share common travel patterns and 28 needs with Lawrence and Richland counties. Funding shall 29 be used to develop a route structure that shall 30 coordinate social service and general public requirements 31 and obtain vehicles to support the additional service. 32 (5) Peoria Regional Transportation Initiative, 33 which shall fund the development of a plan to create a 34 regional transportation service in the Peoria-Pekin MSA HB2587 Engrossed -4- LRB093 06483 JAM 06608 b 1 that integrates and expands the existing services and 2 that would allow local leaders to develop a funding plan 3 and a timetable to secure final political approval. The 4 plan is intended to facilitate regional economic 5 development and provide greater mobility to workers, 6 senior citizens, and people with disabilities. 7 (6) Rock Island MetroLINK/Black Hawk College 8 Coordination Project, which shall provide a deeply 9 discounted, semester-based bus pass for unlimited travel 10 on any MetroLINK bus route to students and faculty at 11 local community colleges to increase ridership on the 12 metropolitan bus system and better link community college 13 students with transportation alternatives. 14 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon 15 becoming law.