For MARTA, $285.7MM ARP Payout

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has awarded the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) a $285.7 million grant for COVID-19 response under the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021.

The MARTA grant is part of more than $30 billion for public transportation in the ARP Act, which President Joe Biden signed into law on March 11. The funding—intended to help transit agencies maintain service and jobs as communities continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic—comes from the $26.6 billion allocated by statutory formulas to urban and rural areas, and tribal governments, and for the enhanced mobility of seniors and individuals with disabilities, according to FTA. The Act also included $2.2 billion for additional transit pandemic-associated need, which will be awarded next year, FTA reported. No local share is required for this funding.

FTA has also awarded ARP grants to Washington state’s Sound Transit; Miami-Dade (Fla.) Department of Transportation and Public Works ($249.4 million); Pittsburgh, Pa.-based Port Authority of Allegheny County ($216.9 million); San Diego (Calif.) Metropolitan Transit System ($140.4 million); Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority ($859.6 million); Orange County (Calif.) Transportation Authority ($163.9 million); New Jersey Transit ($255.7 million); San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District ($330.8 million); Denver (Colo.) Regional Transportation District ($304.2 million); Houston Metro ($298.6 million); and San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency ($288.2 million).

“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,” FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez said.