The Counties Transit Improvement Board’s annual grant awards signaled its commitment to accelerating transit projects across the region. The Board authorized $140.9 million in funding next year to advance five light rail and bus rapid transit lines, to support improvements to three existing lines, and to fund operations for the region’s light rail (LRT), commuter rail and bus rapid transit (BRT) lines. The latest round of grant awards brings the Board’s total investments in the region to nearly $650 million dollars in the past seven years ($648.3 million).

“We share a vision for completing a region-wide network of light rail, commuter rail and bus rapid transit lines that spur economic development, improved mobility, and increased system-wide transit ridership. As the largest funder of major transit projects in Minnesota, we can be a catalyst for the future, especially in terms of creating greater connections and opportunity throughout our communities,” said Counties Transit Improvement Board Chair and Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin. 

These grants re-affirm the $529.6 million in funding commitments approved by the Board earlier this year for the Bottineau LRT ($27.6 million), Orange Line BRT ($6 million) and Southwest LRT ($496 million) lines. Funding commitments are firm demonstrations of the Board’s support for providing funding to these projects as they advance through the highly rigorous and competitive federal project development process. Because of the Board’s willingness to make these funding commitments, three projects are simultaneously in the federal pipeline for the first time in the state’s history: Southwest LRT, Bottineau LRT and Orange Line BRT.

The grants awarded by the Board today also represent a significant step towards progressing the first phase of the Board’s $1.7 billion Program of Projects Investment Strategy. The Investment Strategy is a five-year financial plan to accelerate the build-out of the regional transitway network and to increase the region’s competitiveness for federal transit funding. The Investment Strategy identifies Southwest LRT, Bottineau LRT, Orange Line BRT, Gateway BRT, Robert Street Corridor and Riverview Corridor as eligible for funding in Phase 1.

The grants awarded today provide funding in 2015 for design and engineering activities for the Southwest light rail, Bottineau light rail, Orange Line bus rapid transit and Gateway bus rapid transit lines. Grant funding will also support safety improvements for the Northstar Commuter Rail Line, efficiency improvements for the Red Line’s Cedar Grove Station, community engagement and land use planning activities for the Gateway bus rapid transit line, an implementation plan for the Red Rock bus rapid transit line, and five additional light rail vehicles for the Blue Line.

A total of $110 million in funding was awarded for capital grant projects and $30.8 million in operating support:

• Southwest LRT, $63.6 million for project development and engineering activities, including advanced design and          environmental review processes.  
• Bottineau LRT, $15.9 million for project development and environmental review activities.
• Orange Line BRT, $3 million for project development and environmental review activities.
• Gateway BRT, $600,000 for project development and environmental review activities after the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) accepts Gateway BRT into the Project Development phase of work.
• Blue Line, $6 million for the procurement of five additional light rail vehicles.
• Red Line, $9.7 million for the construction of the Red Line Cedar Grove Access Improvement Project.
• Northstar Commuter Rail, $10.2 million for the construction of safety improvements to separate commuter rail and freight rail traffic from automobile traffic on Armstrong Boulveard.
• Washington County Guaranteed Grants, $1.08 million to support transit-oriented development planning and other project activities for the Gateway BRT project prior to its acceptance into Project Development by the FTA; and to support the development of an implementation plan for the Red Rock Corridor.
• Metropolitan Council, $30.8 million for operating grants for the Blue Line BRT, Green Line LRT, Northstar Commuter Rail, Red Line BRT, Cedar Avenue Express and I-35W South Express services.