FTA sets FY2017 funding priorities

The Federal Transit Administration on Feb. 10, 2016 highlighted $3.5 billion recommended in President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2017 federal budget to advance the construction or completion of 31 public transit projects in 18 states, including 15 first-time funding recommendations. The projects would be funded through the FTA Capital Investment Grant (CIG) Program.

FTA’s CIG Program is the federal government’s primary grant program for funding major transit capital investments that are locally planned, implemented and operated. It provides funding for investments such as new and/or expanded rapid transit, regional/commuter rail, light rail, streetcars and BRT (bus rapid transit). The program includes funding for three categories of eligible projects, as defined by the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act: New Starts, Small Starts and Core Capacity.

Among the projects recommended for first-time FTA dollars:

• The Downtown Riverfront Streetcar Project in Sacramento, which would connect the urban cores of Sacramento and West Sacramento, “serving major destinations in both cities, improving transit options for residents and encouraging transit-oriented development along the route.”

• Phase One of the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Red and Purple Line Modernization Project, which would reconstruct four stations and reconfigure track “in order to relieve crowding and congestion in one of the CTA’s busiest corridors.”

Among FTA’s funding recommendations for Fiscal Year 2017:

• $1.4 billion for 10 New Starts projects already under construction in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, Denver, Orlando, Honolulu, Boston, Charlotte and Portland, with additional funds recommended to accelerate completion.

• $950 million for seven New Starts projects not yet under construction in Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Ana, National Capital Area in Maryland, Minneapolis, Fort Worth and Seattle.

• $458 million for 10 Small Starts projects not yet under construction in Tempe, Sacramento, Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Indianapolis, Grand Rapids, Kansas City (Mo.), Albuquerque, Everett and Seattle.

• $599 million for four Core Capacity projects to improve capacity on existing, heavily used transit lines in the San Francisco Bay Area, Chicago, New York City and Dallas.

• $125 million for the Caltrain Peninsula Corridor Electrification Project (PCEP). The project will also receive more than $72 million in prior year funding allocations.

• $84 million for MTA New York City Transit’s Canarsie Line Power and Station Improvements Project. The Canarsie (L) Line operates between South Brooklyn and Manhattan, carrying more than 300,000 passengers on an average weekday. The project will provide capacity improvements, including new power substations and other electrical infrastructure upgrades, to allow operation of additional trains on the line, NYCT’s first equipped with CBTC (communications-based train control). It also will enhance and improve access at the Bedford Avenue and First Avenue Stations to provide more efficient passenger flow within the stations and to reduce overcrowding on the station platforms. (In addition to the FY2017 funding recommendation, the Canarsie Line Power and Station Improvement Project is receiving $16.3 million in FY2016 Core Capacity funds.

• $75 million for the Expedited Project Delivery for Capital Investment Grants Pilot Program, a new pilot program outlined in FAST that allows FTA to select up to eight projects seeking 25% or less in federal funding and using a public-private partnership approach.

FTA’s Annual Report on Funding Recommendations for the FY2017 CIG Program, including links to individual project profiles, can be accessed on the FTA website by clicking HERE.

In addition to the FY2017 funding recommendations, FTA also announced FY2016 apportionments and allocations, which include ongoing funding for existing CIG projects. These can be accessed on the FTA website by clicking HERE.