Los Angeles Metro to receive $1.24 billion federal grant
Written by David C. Lester, Editor-in-Chief
LA Metro wants billions of state surplus for light-rail projects.
Steve Hymon/LACMTA
U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced a $1.24 billion award of American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro).
American Rescue Plan transit funds are intended to help transit agencies around the country maintain service and keep workers on the payroll as communities continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. This award comes at a crucial moment as agencies nationwide are facing the challenge of a new variant.
In 2020, Metro’s approximately 11,000 workers provided 215 million trips. These funds will allow Metro to continue providing service which is critical to supporting the more than 12 million residents of the Los Angeles urbanized area, the country’s second-largest.
“Public transportation has helped people reach their jobs at hospitals, grocery stores, ports, and more throughout this pandemic,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “This funding from President Biden’s American Rescue Plan will help keep transit service running, protect transit employees from layoffs, and ensure people can get where they need to go.”
“As our nation’s transit systems recover from COVID-19, the American Rescue Plan funds ensure that they continue to provide service to the many Americans who depend on transit to get to essential jobs, healthcare, and vaccine appointments,” said FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez.
This funding is part of more than $30 billion for public transportation in the American Rescue Plan Act which was signed into law by President Biden last March. The funding comes from the $26.6 billion allocated by statutory formulas to urban and rural areas, tribal governments, and for the enhanced mobility of seniors and individuals with disabilities. The Act also included $2.2 billion for additional transit pandemic-associated need, which will be awarded later this year. No local share is required for this funding.
To date, FTA has awarded over $56 billion in COVID-relief funding to transit agencies nationwide.
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