FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, June 22, 2000
Contact: Gail Taylor
Tel.: (202) 366-4043
FTA 08-00
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Rodney E. Slater today announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has entered into a full- funding transit grant agreement with the Metropolitan Transit Development Board to extend San Diego's Light Rail Trolley system.
"Transit is a key building block to President Clinton’s and Vice President Gore’s vision of livable communities and a sustainable America that will produce an improved quality of life for all people," Secretary Slater said. "Sound investment in transit is vital now that we have crossed the bridge into the new century and the new millennium. Safe, efficient, reliable transportation improves the quality of life for all people by encouraging economic development and regional growth strategies and making community resources more accessible."
Slater added that extending San Diego's light rail line will showcase how transit helps us to use our public investments wisely, maintain a good quality of life and produce a robust economy as the nation increasingly moves toward smart growth and sustainable development.
The Mission Valley East project will extend the existing Blue Line of the San Diego Trolley from the Mission San Diego Station to the Grossmont Station on the Orange Line. The Mission Valley East line's signature station will be the underground station at San Diego State University. This project will close the gap between the two existing lines and provide a vital link to communities to the east and south. The extension will serve several neighborhoods of east San Diego and La Mesa, a major medical center, and several commercial areas. By 2015, it is anticipated that the project will serve 10,800 daily riders.
The estimated cost of the project is $431 million, with a federal commitment of $330 million.
Joining Secretary Slater and Acting FTA Administrator Nuria I. Fernandez in at today’s signing ceremony celebrating the grant announcement were Chairman Leon Williams and General Manager Thomas Larwin of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit Development Board as well as other board members and local officials.
A full funding grant agreement is the federal government's commitment to support a transit project over the course of several fiscal years, contingent upon the availability of funds. As funds are appropriated, the full funding projects receive priority consideration.
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