This week, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced its key priorities for allocation of funds that were made available through the passage of the bipartisan infrastructure law that was signed by President Joe Biden last week.
Nuria Fernandez, FTA Administrator, spoke about the announcement, saying, "As the transit industry renews ridership, this historic support will help us transform the way we plan and use public transportation in the United States. Long-overdue investments in transit infrastructure will deliver new and expanded public transit services, especially in communities that have suffered from historical funding inequities."
The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced on Monday, Nov. 15 key priorities and historic funding amounts for public transportation. The law authorizes up to $108 billion, including $91 billion in guaranteed funding for public transportation – the most significant federal investment in transit in the nation’s history.
The bipartisan infrastructure law is the largest investment in American infrastructure in generations. It marks an inflection point for American transit. It will boost transit funding for communities all over the country by an average of 30% – helping communities address maintenance backlogs, modernize and expand. The new funding provided under the bill will help transit agencies reduce the current maintenance backlog by 15% and replace more than 500 aging subway, light rail and commuter rail cars. It will further modernize the nation’s transit fleet by replacing more than 10,000 fossil-fuel powered transit vehicles with cleaner electric or low-emission transit vehicles.
Transportation passengers across the country will see more reliable transit service as older vehicles and facilities are repaired or replaced, and cleaner air in their communities thanks to a transition to low- and no-emission transit vehicles. The funding will help respond to climate change, while creating more ways for people to get to work, to play, to access health care and to visit friends and family.
