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FTA 03-06
Contact: Paul Griffo, Tel.: (202) 366-4043
Tuesday, February 7, 2006
President’s Budget Recommends
$1.5 Billion for Major Transit Projects
The Secretary's Speech can be found at
http://www.dot.gov/affairs/minetasp020706.htm.
Fighting congestion on America’s roadways is the goal of a massive new investment in subway, light rail and commuter rail projects, according to U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta, who today announced a plan to spend $1.5 billion on transit programs in cities like Dallas, Denver, Portland and Salt Lake City.
The spending plan, included in President Bush’s budget submitted to Congress yesterday, provides for multi-year funding for 23 existing projects, and five new projects eligible for funding based on progress in the months ahead.
“As a nation choked with congestion, we must turn to transit as one way to make it easier and faster to get to work, relieve crowded roads, and keep our economy moving,” said Secretary Mineta. “An investment in transit is an investment in fighting congestion.”
The recommendations are part of the Annual Report on New Starts for FY2007. The New Starts report includes $572 million in annual funding for 16 projects to which the federal government has already made long-term funding commitments, known as Full Funding Grant Agreements (FFGAs).
New this year is $303 million in funding recommended for five new projects in four states. Of that, $35 million is set aside for Denver’s West Corridor Light Rail project for a 12-mile extension along the city’s second busiest traffic corridor. Another $80 million is slated for a 21-mile extension to the Dallas Light Rail system to fight congestion in and out of the city’s central business district.
Oregon has two new projects recommended for funding. First, $80 million is planned for an eight-mile extension of Portland’s “MAX” light rail line. Another $27.6 million is recommended for a 14.7-mile commuter line long the fast-growing Wilsonville-Beaverton Corridor in Washington County, Ore. And in Utah’s Weber County, another $80 million is recommended for a 43-mile commuter rail line to provide surrounding communities with direct access to downtown Salt Lake City.
Under the plan, $355 million is available for two projects in New York City and Pittsburgh that are pending execution of FFGAs this year. Additionally, five projects based in Northern Virginia, Norfolk, New York City, Seattle and Washington, D.C., could be eligible for $102 million based on their progress this year.
“Because the FTA’s New Starts program requires proof of each project’s cost-effectiveness and benefits to the public, taxpayers can be assured that federal dollars are wisely invested in public transportation,” said FTA Deputy Administrator Sandy Bushue.
A complete list of projects recommended under FTA’s Annual Report on New Starts is available online at www.fta.dot.gov.
This 12-station light rail extension begins at the existing Auraria Station in downtown Denver and extends 12.1 miles west, parallel to West 6th Avenue, which carries the second highest traffic volume in the region. The West Corridor will serve Lakewood and other Westside activity centers, and will provide connections to the Denver Tech Center, the second largest employment center in the Denver metropolitan area. It will also facilitate development opportunities along the corridor. It will carry 28,700 average weekly riders, including 4,700 daily new riders by 2026. The project will cost a total of $593 million.
An 8.3-mile new light rail transit line consisting of two segments connecting to the existing “MAX” system. The first segment of the proposed project is a 6.5-mile line that runs north and south and parallel to I-205, connecting the Clackamas Regional Center in southeast Portland with the Gateway Transit Center east of downtown on TriMet’s existing light rail transit system. The second segment of the project is a 1.8-mile extension which would begin at the existing Rose Quarter Transit Center and terminate at Portland State University in south downtown Portland. This segment would run along the existing downtown bus mall on 5th and 6th Avenues. The new line will serve 46,500 weekday riders, including 9,400 daily new riders, by 2025. The project will cost a total of $557.4 million.
Washington County, OR – Wilsonville/Beaverton Commuter Rail – $27.6 million in FY 2007 (Medium Rating)
This 14.7-mile, five station commuter rail line will connect to Tri-Met’s existing Westside light rail line at the Beaverton Transit Center. The project will connect the rapidly growing suburban communities in the Wilsonville-Beaverton Corridor and alleviate existing and future traffic congestion in western Washington County. The line will carry 3,000 weekday riders, including 1,900 daily new riders, by 2020. The project will cost a total of $117.3 million.
This 21-mile extension will
provide fixed guideway transit service in heavily traveled transportation
corridors. From Dallas’ central business district, the line will extend
northwest 10.9 miles along I-45 to the city of Farmer’s Branch, and southeast
10.1 miles to Buckner Boulevard. The project will provide an alternative to
congested highway facilities, increase transit capacity, improve connectivity to
regional activity centers, and provide economic development opportunities. The
line will carry nearly 46,000 average weekday riders, including 10,700 daily new
riders, by 2025. The project will cost a total of $1.4 billion.
This 43-mile, eight-station commuter rail project will provide the
areas of Pleasant View, Ogden, Clearfield, Layton, and Bountiful with direct
access to downtown Salt Lake City. The commuter rail line will serve nearly
12,000 weekday riders, including 6,100 daily new riders, by 2025. The project
will cost a total of $611.7 million.
The New York City Metropolitan Transportation
Authority (MTA) and Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) are proposing a commuter rail
project that will link LIRR passengers to a new passenger concourse in Grand
Central Terminal on Manhattan’s east side. The 3.5-mile East Side Access (ESA)
project, using an existing rail tunnel under the East River, will increase LIRR
tunnel capacity across the East River and significantly relieve over-crowded
conditions throughout the LIRR network. The project will provide direct access
to the east side of Manhattan for users of the LIRR, who must currently transfer
to other transit lines or walk to get to the east side from Penn Station. The
ESA project will serve a portion of the strongest transit market in the
country. By 2030, through reducing travel time to Manhattan’s east side and
relieving overcrowding conditions on existing LIRR service to Penn Station, the
East Side Access will carry more than 171,900 average weekday riders, including
27,300 daily new riders by 2030. The project will cost a total of $7.78 billion.
This project sponsored by
the Port Authority of Allegheny County is a 1.5-mile extension of the region’s
25-mile light rail transit system, which would connect downtown Pittsburgh’s
Golden Triangle area to the city’s North Shore area.
The project is expected to cost $393 million.
It will carry 15,800 average weekday
riders, including 4,100 daily new riders by 2025.
OTHER PROJECTS TO BE CONSIDERED FOR FUNDING (5)
The President’s budget sets aside a total of $102 million to be available for additional projects. The following projects will be considered for funding contingent upon further progress and continued qualification under New Starts criteria and other requirements.
This 2.3-mile project on Manhattan’s east side will provide extended Broadway subway service between Brooklyn, Lower Manhattan, West Midtown, and East Harlem. The project is expected to serve 213,000 riders each day by 2030. The project is estimated to cost $4.9 billion.
An 11.6-mile extension of the region’s Metrorail system from the existing East Falls Church Metrorail station through the large Tysons Corner employment and retail center to Wiehle Avenue in the town of Reston. The extension will serve more than 77,000 passengers a day by 2030. The project is estimated to cost $1.8 billion.
Hampton Roads Transit is proposing to construct a 7.4-mile light rail transit line within the city of Norfolk that is intended to serve as the initial segment of a regional rapid transit system. The project is expected to serve 6,500 riders each day by 2025. The project is estimated to cost $203.7 million.
Sound Transit is proposing to implement an extension of the Central Link light rail transit Initial Segment currently under construction from the segment’s northern terminus at Westlake Station in
downtown Seattle to the University of Washington, 3.1 miles to the northeast. The University Link corridor is the most densely developed residential and employment area in the Central Puget Sound region and the state of Washington. The extension will serve more than 40,000 weekday riders by 2030. The project is estimated to cost $1.7 billion.
Sections 3043(a)(31) and 3043(j) of SAFETEA-LU authorizes the inclusion of an additional 52 rapid rail cars in the Largo Metrorail Extension. FTA included proposed funding for the cars in this section even though the original Full Funding Grant Agreement has been completed and revenue service for the 3.1-mile, two-station extension from Addison Road Station to Largo Town Center in Prince George’s County, Maryland, has begun.
Continued
investment in projects that have successfully passed FTA’s rigorous standards
and for which Full Funding Grant Agreements have been put in place:
The Central Phoenix East Valley Light Rail project is a 19.6-mile
light rail system running from the Spectrum Mall area in Phoenix, through the
downtown areas of Phoenix and Tempe, to Mesa. The project, overseen by Valley
Metro Rail, will provide access to major employment centers including the
Phoenix and Tempe central business districts, Sky Harbor Airport, and Arizona
State University (ASU); and large special event venues including Civic Plaza
Convention Center, Bank One Ballpark, America West Arena, and ASU’s Sun Devil
Stadium. The project will cost $1.4 billion, with a federal New Starts share of
$587 million.
The Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) and the Colorado
Department of Transportation are constructing the Southeast Corridor Light Rail
project, dubbed T-REX. T-REX is a 19.1-mile double-track light rail transit (LRT)
extension to the existing system, which follows I-25 from Broadway in Denver to
Douglas County, with a spur along I-225. The total project cost is $879.27
million, with a federal New Starts share of $525 million. It is expected to
carry 38,100 daily riders by 2020.
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is reconstructing platforms and stations on the existing Ravenswood (Brown) Line to accommodate eight-car trains, along with other related capital improvements. The Brown Line extends approximately 9.1 miles from the Kimball Terminal on the north side of Chicago through the “Loop Elevated” in downtown Chicago, and includes 19 stations. The total project cost is $529.91 million, with a federal New Starts share of $245.52 million. It is expected to carry 68,000 daily riders by 2020.
The project sponsored by the
Charlotte Area Transit System is a 9.6-mile light rail transit line extending
from the city’s central business district to Interstate 485 in south Mecklenburg
County near the South Carolina state line. It will carry 18,000 weekday riders
by 2025. This is the area’s first light-rail line. The total project cost is
$426.8 million, with a federal New Starts shar of $192.9 million.
The New Jersey Transit Corporation is constructing an extension to the Hudson-Bergen Waterfront Light Rail Transit System. The project includes a 5.1-mile, six station extension from Hoboken Terminal to the Tonnelle Avenue park‑and‑ride lot in North Bergen and a one-mile, one-station extension south from 34th Street to 22nd Street in Bayonne. The total project cost is $1.21 billion, with a federal New Starts share of $500 million. It is expected to carry 34,900 daily riders by 2020.
The Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority (Sound Transit) is constructing a 13.9 mile light rail line that will run from Convention Place through downtown Seattle to South 154th Street in the city of Tukwila. The total project cost is $2.44 billion, with a federal New Starts share of $500 million. It is expected to carry 42,500 daily riders in 2020.
The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and San Mateo County Transit District have completed an 8.7-mile heavy rail extension from BART’s Colma Station through Colma, San Bruno to Millbrae, with a station at San Francisco International Airport. The total project cost is $1.55 billion, with a federal New Starts share of $750 million. Daily riders in October 2004 totaled 27,000.
The Metropolitan Transit Development Board is constructing a
5.9-mile light rail transit extension, from its current terminus east of I-15 to
the City of La Mesa. The line will include a connection to the existing Orange
Line near Baltimore Drive. The project will cost $430.96 million, with a
federal New Starts share of $329.96 million. It is expected to carry 10,800
daily riders by 2015.
The North County Transit District is converting an existing 22-mile freight rail corridor into a commuter rail running from the coastal city of Oceanside, through the cities of Vista and San Marcos, portions of unincorporated San Diego, to Escondido. The project will cost $351.52 million, with a federal New Starts share of $152.1 million. It is expected to carry 19,000 daily riders by 2020.
The Chicago Transit Authority is reconstructing 6.6 miles of the existing Douglas Branch of CTA’s heavy rail Blue Line. The total project cost is $482.68 million, with a federal New Starts share of $320.10 million. It is expected to carry 6,000 daily new riders by 2020.
Metra, a commuter rail operator in the Chicago metropolitan region, is constructing an 8.5-mile extension to the existing 35-mile Union Pacific West Line. The project would extend the line approximately 8.5 miles west from Geneva to Elburn, Illinois. The project will cost $134.6 million, with a federal New Starts share of $80.8 million. It is expected to carry 4,300 daily riders by 2020.
The Maryland Mass Transit Administration is upgrading 9.4 miles of designated areas of the Baltimore Central Light Rail Line. The project includes double-tracking eight sections of the existing 29-mile line and new platforms at four existing stations. The total project cost is $153.7 million, with a federal New Starts share of $120 million. It is expected to carry 44,000 daily riders by 2020.
The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority is constructing a 9.4-mile, 35 station bus rapid transit line along Euclid Avenue from Public Square in downtown Cleveland to the Stokes‑Windermere Rapid Transit Station (Red Line) in East Cleveland. The total project cost is $168.4 million, with a federal New Starts share of $82.2 million. It is expected to carry 39,000 daily riders by 2020.
The Tri-County Metropolitan
Transportation District of Oregon completed construction of a 5.8‑mile extension
of its light rail transit line known locally as the Interstate Metropolitan Area
Express (Interstate MAX). The Interstate MAX line extends existing light rail
service north from the Rose Quarter and the Oregon Convention Center to North
Portland neighborhoods and the Metropolitan Exposition Center. The project
commenced operations in 2004. The total project cost is $350 million, with a
federal New Starts share of $257.5 million.
The Puerto Rico Highway and
Transportation Authority completed construction of a 10.7-mile heavy rail system
between Bayamón Centro and the Sagrado Corazon area of Santurce in San Juan.
The total project cost under a planned budget revision will be $2.25 billion,
with a federal New Starts share of $307.41 million. The system began limited
weekend service in December 2004 and full daily revenue operations in June
2005. It is expected to carry 113,000 daily riders by 2010.
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