DART is only the second winner of this FTA award, which will be presented in Orlando, Fla., at the annual October meeting of the American Public Transportation Association.

Established as a best practice for other transit agencies to use, the FTA award recognizes exemplary efforts in preparing effective and practical environmental documents consistent with prevailing requirements and expectations while achieving the objective of paperwork reduction.

Construction is currently under way on the first nine miles of the new Orange Line that will branch from the Green Line in northwest Dallas through Irving to Las Colinas in 2011 and Belt Line Station in 2012. The line will be extended to DFW International Airport by 2013.

The Orange Line is part of largest light rail project currently under construction in North America. Along with the completion of the 28-mile Green Line in December 2010 and the five-mile Blue Line extension from Garland to Rowlett in December 2012, DART is on pace to nearly double its light rail network to 90 miles by 2013.