300 public transit projects across U.S. to share $928.5 million in federal funds

Written by jrood

Transit providers across the nation will receive a share of $928.5 million in federal funds for more than 300 public transportation projects in urban, suburban and rural areas. The money will put people to work renovating and building much needed transit facilities, manufacturing new clean-fuel buses and helping communities plan responsibly for their future transit needs. "Investing in America's transit systems, rails, roads, ports and airports will generate tens of thousands of construction-related jobs and put more money in the pockets of working Americans," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "But we must do more. Congress needs to pass the American Jobs Act so we can continue to invest in critically needed projects like these, to repair and rebuild our nation's transportation system." The grants that are made, which are available through the Federal Transit Administration's fiscal year 2011 Alternatives Analysis, Bus Livability and State of Good Repair Programs, will go toward replacing or refurbishing aging buses, building or improving bus terminals, garages and other transit facilities, installing bus-related equipment and conducting studies to help communities select the best transit options to meet future transportation needs. The grant selection process was highly competitive and FTA reviewed 839 project applications representing $4.9 billion in funding requests from transit providers across the country for the Fiscal Year 2011 discretionary grants. The planned Woodward Avenue corridor project in Detroit is one of the projects to receive funding. The Southeast Michigan Council of Governments will receive $2 million to study a possible second phase of the planned Woodward Avenue corridor transit project and the best mode of transit to pursue. The first phase, a light-rail line still in the early planning stages, would end just south of Eight Mile Road. The second phase may one day provide additional transit solutions another 7.5 miles to Maple Road.

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