FTA: $25.7 million to help evaluate, select local transit options

The Federal Transit Administration said $25.7 million was awarded through competitive grants through the Alternative Analysis grant program to help community officials in 15 states evaluate and select the best options to help place new or expanded transit systems in their communities.

The Alternatives Analysis
grant program is the first key milestone in the FTA New Starts process – the
primary source for federally funded transit projects. Conducting an
"alternatives analysis" ensures that various costs and benefits, route options,
and other important considerations are taken into account as part of FTA’s
capital planning process, known as New Starts. The analysis is complete once a
locally preferred alternative is selected and adopted as part of the affected
region’s long-range transportation plan.

The 24 winning
proposals were submitted by transit agencies from across the country as part of
a nationwide competition. Winning proposals demonstrated need by identifying a
substantial transportation challenge in a particular corridor and proposing
technical work that would provide cost and benefit information on the
alternatives studied to address the problem. Priority was given to project sponsors
coordinating transit project development with relevant public housing agencies,
or with relevant energy or environmental public agencies.

The agency reviewed
67 applications from 30 states seeking a total of $73 million in funds.

The winning project proposals
include:

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. District
Department of Transportation
 Project: DC Streetcar Alignment and Vehicle
Propulsion Technology 
Grant Amount: $1,000,000. 
This funding will support the
evaluation of alignment extensions to the K Street Transitway and streetcar
propulsion technologies. The alignment extensions being considered are at the
Washington Circle area and between Mount Vernon Square and Union Station.
Current transit ridership, support for infill development and potential to improve
access to services justify an investment.

ILLINOIS. Chicago Transit Authority.
Project: Western Corridor. 
Grant Amount: $1,600,000. 
This project will look
at transit improvements in this North-South corridor that would support the
Chicago Transit Authority’s (CTA) radial heavy-rail network. The corridor runs
along Western and Ashland Avenues in Chicago between Howard and 95th Streets.
The justification of need: the corridor contains regional destinations, offers
many redevelopment sites, has high bus ridership and is home to many zero-car
households.


MINNESOTA. City of Minneapolis.
Project: Nicollet-Central Urban Circulator
. Grant Amount: $900,000
. These
corridors, currently served by frequent local bus routes, are home to
significant proportions of zero-car households and contain several
redevelopment sites. The corridors run down Nicollet and Central Avenues
between the 46th Street/I-35W BRT station in Minneapolis, downtown Minneapolis
and the Columbia Heights Transit Center. A transit investment here could
leverage city grant programs for affordable housing, business assistance, and
energy efficiency. Economic development and affordable housing
implementation plans will be developed in parallel. 

MISSOURI/ Kansas City/Jackson County
Project: Three corridors: I-70 between downtown Kansas City and Odessa; 
SR
350/Rock Island Railroad between downtown Kansas City and Pleasant Hill;
Central Kansas City between the Rivermarket neighborhood and Union Station.
Grant Amount: $1,800,000
. The proposed study builds on findings from the
regional systems planning efforts that have identified the corridors with
greatest need for major mobility improvements. The study targets a key portion
of the metro area primarily focused in Jackson County, but also crossing into
neighboring Lafayette and Cass counties in Missouri. The study has strong local
support, is consistent with livability-oriented planning efforts in the region,
and is positioned to advance transportation solutions critical to the
community’s regional vision.

NEW YORK. New York City Department of
Transportation. 
Project: La Guardia Airport Transit Corridor. 
Grant Amount:
$1,250,000. 
This project includes corridors connecting La Guardia Airport with
Jackson Heights, Astoria, and downtown Flushing. La Guardia is a busy airport
with no rapid transit connection. Current bus service is slow, unreliable and
heavily used by airport employees and area residents. The project will also
support infill development projects in Willets Point and downtown Flushing. 

TEXAS. Capital Metropolitan
Transportation Authority
. Project: North Central Corridor. 
Grant Amount:
$1,975,000. 
This corridor is located between downtown Austin and Georgetown
along I-35 and SR 1. The corridor contains several destinations, including
mixed-use infill developments. Rapid population and employment growth in the
area are expected to continue. Express buses and a single-track commuter rail
line, which is contemplated for upgrades, serve the corridor. The need results
from congestion.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit
. Project: D2
AA/EIS. 
Grant Amount: $700,000
. This alternatives analysis (AA) and
environmental impact statement (EIS) project focuses on the Dallas central
business district, roughly bounded by US 75/I-45, I-30, I-35E and Woodall Rodgers
Freeway. The work entails reevaluation of the locally preferred alternative for
a new light rail transit (LRT) alignment through downtown Dallas to improve
linkages with land use and streetcar planning. The additional LRT alignment is
needed to provide core capacity for new lines. The work plan also includes an
AA for a streetcar corridor that will be identified through a parallel planning
process. 

WASHINGTON. Sound Transit. 
Project:
Sound Transit North Corridor. 
Grant Amount: $2,000,000. 
Light rail transit
(LRT) deployment in this corridor was included in the successful 2008 Sound
Transit 2 ballot measure. This corridor is currently served by express buses.
It is located between Northgate Transit Center and Lynnwood along I-5
(approximately 8.2 miles). The goals of the project include environmental
protection and consistency with regional land use and transportation plans. The
need for this project centers on congestion relief.