Though the budget enacted by Congress will no doubt differ from the administration's budget, these recommendations from the Federal Transit Administration are significant. Many of the projects on last year's list are now under construction.
Here's a look at what's in line for federal funding, starting with the list of grants for large expansion projects from the FTA's "New Starts" program.
Major projects recommended for funding:
Los Angeles' Westside Subway Extension, Section 2 -- $100 million
San Diego's Midcoast Corridor -- $150 million
Denver's Southeast Extension --$92 million
Baltimore Red Line -- $100 million
Maryland Purple Line (Suburban D.C.) -- $100 million
Minneapolis' Southwest Light Rail -- $150 million
Fort Worth's TEX commuter Rail -- $100 million
The big drama right now surrounds the Purple and Red line projects in Maryland, where newly elected Republican Governor Larry Hogan has threatened to cut off state support for the new transit lines if private partners don't cover enough of the construction costs.
A second list of smaller projects in mid-sized cities are in line for funding from the FTA's "Small Starts" program.
Smaller projects recommended for funding:
Fresno's FAX Blackstone/Kings Canyon Bus Rapid Transit -- $11 million
San Francisco's Van Ness Avenue Bus Rapid Transit -- $30 million
San Rafael to Larkspur Regional Connector -- $20 million
Charlotte's CityLINX Gold Line, Phase 2 -- $75 million
Reno's 4th Street/Prater Way Corridor -- $6 million
Columbus' Cleveland Avenue Bus Rapid Transit -- $38 million
El Paso's Montana Avenue Bus Rapid Transit -- $27 million
Provo Orem Bus Rapid Transit -- $71 million
Tacoma's Link Light Rail Extension -- $75 million
These projects are mostly bus rapid transit and light rail -- there are not as many streetcar projects as in other recent rounds of funding. The administration may be responding to the increasing scrutiny devoted to mixed-traffic streetcars and whether they generate sufficient ridership to justify their costs.
Metro is already installing on-bus cameras. Soon comes testing, outreach, then warning tickets. Wilshire/5th/6th and La Brea will be the first bus routes in the bus lane enforcement program.
This week, we talk to the great Gabe Klein, executive director of President Biden's Joint Office of Energy and Transportation (and a former Streetsblog board member), about curbside electrification.
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