Follow the money for transportation contracting opportunities in America
By Mary Scott Nabers
People are on the move again , and many are relying on public transit . In fact , transit ridership is up more than 80 percent since 2020 , according to the Federal Transit Administration ( FTA ).
The American Rescue Plan Act ( ARPA ) and other grant programs have provided billions in funding for transit authorities nationwide . If Congress passes the infrastructure bill , billions more will flow to transit authorities . And finally , it is important to also note the many local bond elections throughout the country have provided even more funding for upcoming public transportation projects . Government contractors of every type and size will find an abundance of contracting opportunities with transit authorities over the next several years . A few examples follow .
Washington The FTA recently announced funding awards from the Capital Investment Grant ( CIG ) program . The CIG provides funding for construction and expansion of new and existing public transit systems . The revenue can be used for light rail , bus rapid transit , commuter rail , streetcars , and ferries . Seattle ’ s Sound Transit light rail expansion project received a CIG grant of $ 94 million . Another $ 158 million was received through ARPA funding . Seattle ’ s expansion project , however , had a cost estimate of $ 3.1 billion . That earlier estimate is now reset at somewhere between $ 4.8 billion and $ 6.2 billion . Community Transit , the state ’ s public transit authority , has received $ 6.5 million in ARPA funding for a Bus Rapid Transit ( BRT ) project that includes 13 stations . Another public transit project was awarded $ 20.7 million . Seattle ’ s Department of Transportation Madison Street BRT project received $ 10.9 million , and another bus rapid transit project was allocated $ 3.7 million .
Pennsylvania The Port Authority of Allegheny County is working to secure funding for a proposed BRT system project that has an estimated $ 230 million cost . The Port Authority was also , unexpectedly , allocated $ 19.3 million in ARPA funding to support previously funded projects .
New Jersey and New York Amtrak is currently closing on a financing plan and an agreement for a $ 11.6 billion Gateway Tunnel that will benefit both New Jersey and New York . The plan will be reviewed by the Gateway Development Corporation , a consortium selected to oversee the project . The consortium includes representatives from New York , New Jersey , Amtrak , NJ Transit , and the Port Authority . A finalized plan must be submitted to the grant program by August 27 to be eligible for funding this fiscal year . The Gateway Development Corporation will request $ 5.5 billion more from the federal government to supplement the recent funding .
24 | BUSRIDE . COM | OCTOBER 2021