Rapid transit project to be considered for federal funds

Although the Trump administration recommended no money for projects such as Port Authority’s proposed Bus Rapid Transit system, the Federal Transit Administration is funding them and will consider the local one for funding next year, the agency’s acting administrator said Wednesday.

K. Jane Williams said the agency is processing grants for the Small Starts program because Congress earmarked money for it in this year’s federal budget.

Port Authority wants federal money for a system that would use electric buses on exclusive lanes between Oakland and Downtown Pittsburgh. The normal procedure is for projects to be submitted as a concept the first year, become more refined the second year and be ready for a funding decision by the third

year after the project design is finished and local matching funds have been identified.

The agency is seeking $98 million in federal funds, about half the cost of the project, but it plans to move ahead even if it doesn’t receive the grant.

Ms. Williams was in Pittsburgh for a transit conference this week and held a news conference at the Allegheny T station on the North Side to announce a $3.6 million federal grant to help Port Authority-replace old buses.

“What I will tell you is Congress has a different version of what should happen than the Trump administration, but we are following the direction of Congress and processing these applications,” Ms. Williams said. “It is very early in the process [for the Port Authority project]. Once that project is ready, it will be reviewed for funding with all of the other grant requests.”

Port Authority CEO Katharine Eagan Kelleman said that fits the agency’s timeline for the project, which was one of two that received high marks from the FTA when it was submitted last year. The authority’s budget, scheduled for approval June 29, is expected to include $10 million for final design.

“We should be ready to submit final plans next year,” Ms. Kelleman said. “We are confident that we have a strong project that will receive funding. We don’t feel we will have to rely on plan B,” proceeding without a federal grant.

The grant announced Wednesday will pay about half of the cost to replace 14 of the authority’s 720 buses. The new buses should arrive in abouttwo years.