FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, November 19, 1998
Contact: Velvet Snow
Tel.: (202) 366-0782
FTA 23-98
SECRETARY
SLATER ANNOUNCES
$17 MILLION TO THE MIAMI-DADE TRANSIT AGENCY
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Rodney E. Slater today announced three grants totaling $17.1 million in Federal Transit Administration (FTA) funds to the Miami-Dade Transit Agency for the Miami-Dade East-West Corridor project, the Miami North Corridor project and the purchase of 18 replacement buses.
"These funds will provide better and more efficient service for the people who use transit in Miami," Secretary Slater said. "When President Clinton signed Transportation Efficiency Act (TEA-21) legislation into law, he paved the way for a balanced approach to the nation’s roads, bridges, waterways and transit systems. This project combines smart, efficient transit service with proven and reliable highway systems."
The first grant, for $6.4 million, will be used for the Miami-Dade East-West Corridor project located in Miami-Dade County, Fla. The project will involve preparation of a final environmental impact statement (EIS) and will provide for preliminary engineering for the local preferred alternative (LPA) transit system.
The LPA includes construction of an 11.8-mile, fixed guideway, heavy rail line from Florida State Road 826 to the Port of Miami utilizing a tunnel under the central business district of Miami’s Bayfront Park and the intracoastal waterway. The rail line is expected to carry 5.8 million riders annually when it opens.
In addition, the LPA includes approximately 17 miles of improvements along State Road 836 high occupancy vehicle lanes and pedestrian and bicycle access facilities. The proposed project also will connect the planned Miami Intermodal Center with the existing Metrorail fixed guideway system and the Metromover automated park-n-ride and busway facility.
The second grant, for $5.9 million, will be used for preparation of a draft and final EIS for the Miami North Corridor project and preliminary LPA engineering. This phase of the LPA will run approximately 9.5 miles on a fixed guideway system extension of the existing Metrorail line which runs north on Northwest 27th Avenue to Northwest 215th Street near the Miami-Dade County line.
The final grant, for $4.8 million, will be used to purchase 18, 40-foot replacement buses that are part of the Miami-Dade transit system. Funding for this project continues implementation of the Miami-Dade Transit Agency’s bus fleet replacement program.
"FTA’s goal is to improve public transportation in the nation’s cities and counties. These dollars will provide more efficient service for people who use the system and a cleaner environment for everyone," said FTA Administrator Gordon J. Linton.
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