DOT 146-05
Contact: Brian Turmail, Tel.: (202) 366-4570
Tuesday, October 04, 2005

U.S. Transportation Secretary Mineta Announces $47 Million
to Restore and Expand Transit Services in New Orleans and Baton Rouge

Forty-seven million dollars in federal emergency funds are now available to help restore transit service to New Orleans and to expand service to address the rising population in Louisiana’s capital of Baton Rouge, U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta announced today.
 
The $47 million in emergency funding will be used by the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA) and Baton Rouge Capital Area Transit System (CATS) to fund bus routes and services in New Orleans and Baton Rouge. The funding will remain available over the next 6 months and draws on funding made available in the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act that was passed to directly aid the Gulf region in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

“The recovery effort will depend on the strength of local transit systems,” said Secretary Mineta. “Our ability to repopulate once-flooded communities and restore economies washed away by the hurricanes will hinge on the ability of local transit systems to move workers, commuters and families effectively.”

Federal funds will be used to prepare New Orleans to restart transit operations as citizens move back into the area. In Baton Rouge, CATS requires assistance because the city’s population doubled from 400,000 to 800,000 due to Hurricane Katrina, straining a transit system that was already operating near its capacity.

The Secretary added, “This funding will help local authorities meet the transit needs of people ready to rebuild their lives and communities.”

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