Special Transportation Studies
Beginning in Fiscal Year 2016 (FY16), Tri-County has set aside MPO funds annually to be programmed for local jurisdictions in the Metropolitan Planning Area (MPA) to undertake consultant-led special transportation planning projects. TCRPC receives funding requests during an annual call for projects, scores them based on set evaluation criteria, prioritizes them with a review committee, and ultimately approves them for funding.
Jurisdictions may apply for all or part of the Special Transportation Studies set aside but may not request any amount beyond the available funding. Projects must be complete by the end of the fiscal year (July 1st to June 30th).
A project may be phased, but there is no guarantee that additional funding will be made available in future years. Applicants are encouraged, but not required, to include two or more jurisdictions and provide local match.
Available Funding
Tri-County requests proposals from local jurisdictions within the Peoria-Pekin Urbanized Area for special transportation planning projects. A total of $123,000 of FY 2023 Planning Funds have been programmed for special transportation studies. Proposals will be accepted until July 15, 2022, at 4:00 pm CDT. Proposals received after that date and time will not be considered.
You can download the FY 2023 Special Transportation Studies Call for Projects here.
Project Schedule
Date | Action |
June 15, 2022 | Staff releases Call for Projects |
July 15, 2022 | Project proposals due to staff by 4:00 pm |
July 20, 2022 | Staff establishes a Review Subcommittee |
Week of August 1, 2022 | The Review Subcommittee reviews proposals and makes recommendations to Technical Committee |
August 17, 2022 | Technical Committee makes a recommendation for selected project(s) to Commission |
September 7, 2022 | Commission approves the selected project(s) |
Application Procedure
Tri-County’s Special Transportation Studies require a simple application. The application process requires two documents:
- Special Studies Application – Fillable .pdf that requests sponsoring agency information, joint agency information (if applicable), funding request amount, project title, project summary, and the selection of goals the proposed project meets in the IIJA and LRTP 2045. You can download the FY 2023 Special Studies Application here.
- Scope of Work and Detailed Budget – Along with the Special Studies Application, please submit a proposed Scope of Work with a detailed budget (including local match, if applicable). The Scope of Work and detailed budget can be no more than two pages. The formatting should be 1-inch margins with Calibri font sized at 12-points.
Application Submittal
All applications should be saved as a .pdf document and emailed to Michael Bruner at mbruner@tricountyrpc.org.
Eligible Applicants
Funds must be used for transportation planning projects that meet the requirements of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), in particular, 23 USC 134. These are the same requirements that Tri-County staff uses under its responsibilities as an MPO.
Examples of eligible projects include:
- Traffic operation – planning studies
- Corridor plans and feasibility studies,
- Bicycle/pedestrian plans,
- Transit planning, including para-transit,
- Travel demand modeling or GIS,
- Data collection and analysis,
- Storm water planning as it applies to transportation,
- Freight planning, including air
- Asset management,
- Transportation system management (environmental mitigation)
This is not a complete list of eligible projects. To determine if your project is eligible, please discuss it with staff. Engineering and construction are NOT eligible.
Previously funded Projects
Below is a listing of previously completed projects organized by funding year.
TCRPC made $80,000 available for funding Special Transportation Studies. TCRPC awarded two projects in FY22:
1. The City of Peoria Passenger Rail Station Study
Peoria was awarded $50,000 to complement the IDOT Chicago-Peoria Passenger Rail Feasibility by exploring an ideal location for a potential multimodal transit center that accommodates passenger rail, fixed-route bus service, intercity bus service, and even bikes.
2. The City of East Peoria Stormwater Management Planning
The City of East Peoria received $30,000 to inventory and access the City’s storm sewer infrastructure in selected high need areas, particularly along the bluff, to understand the extent of erosion and sedimentation issues related to transportation.
TCRPC made $90,000 available for funding Special Transportation Studies. TCRPC awarded two projects in FY21:
1. The City of East Peoria Riverfront Trail Study
East Peoria was awarded $50,000 to identify and develop a feasibility study trail network that runs along the Illinois River connecting the planned pedestrian accommodations on the McClugage Bridge and Bob Michel Bridge.
2. Woodford County Pavement Evaluation and Management
Woodford County received $42,600 to perform a pavement evaluation to determine the pavements’ load-carrying capacity, required structural improvement to meet expected loads, treatment costs, and other improvements needed to meet current geometric standards, as per IDOT’s 3R requirements.
TCRPC made $90,000 available for funding Special Transportation Studies. TCRPC awarded four projects in FY20:
1. The City of Peoria Pavement Management Decision Optimization
Peoria was awarded $33,600 and contributed a local match of $8,400 for a total project cost of $42,000. The provided funding purchased the Decision Optimization Technology software from Infrastructure Solutions, Inc. to aid in the project prioritization process that utilizes technology and community importance metrics.
2. Peoria County Regional Smart Mobility Plan, Phase II
Peoria County received $30,000 to continue the Greater Peoria Smart Mobility Plan to explore an actionable plan to deploy a supporting infrastructure of Smart Cities, including connected and automated vehicles, identified from the FY 2019 Special Transportation Study.
3. The Village of Morton Bike Master Plan
Morton was awarded $16,800 and contributed a local match of $4,200 for a total project cost of $21,000. The funding was for a Bike Master Plan that evaluated all bicycle facility types to create a master plan that considers the varied needs of different rider types, surrounding land uses, and trip types and connects bikeable destinations within the Village. Additionally, regional bikeway trail heads will be connected to the Morton bicycle network to easily and safely attach the region to Mortin destinations.
4. Woodford County Asset Management & Feasibility Project
Woodford County received $9,500 to develop a computer-based system that assisted with developing short-term (1-2 years) and long-term (5+ years) plans for maintenance and capital improvements. The project also provided a format for monitoring conditions, scheduled inspections, and aid benefit/cost scenario preparations for scheduled repair, replacements, or enhancements for the various assets included in the program.