Conroe awarded $4.5M for eco-friendly buses
Conroe has been awarded $4.5 million in federal funding to buy compressed natural gas buses for its park-andride commuter service to downtown Houston.
U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration announced Monday 130 awards totaling nearly $1.7 billion from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for transit projects in 46 states and territories. The funding invests in more than 1,700 Americanbuilt buses that will be manufactured with American parts and labor.
“The city’s transportation department is excited to receive this funding from the Federal Transit Administration,” said Shawn Davis, transportation assistant director for Conroe. “This announcement means clean buses, less pollution and better commutes for our area riders; definitely something to be proud of.”
Davis said the grant supports the city’s vision to provide more efficient and effective transportation services.
Davis said City Administrator Gary Scott and Assistant City Administrator and Director of Community Development Nancy Mikeska both urged her department to apply for the grant.
“Mobility provides people an opportunity to live a better life,” Mikeska said. “Whether it is transportation to a job, to the doctor, to Walmart or just allowing people to get from one place to another, transportation is an essential part of life. Most of us take it for granted but many rely on public transportation every day. Receiving this grant is an amazing influx of funds to the city to continue to grow our commuter bus service.”
The city will have a 15 percent match of $675,000 and will use transportation development credits, Davis said. States are awarded and accrue these credits through the Federal Highway Administration based on the amount of capital investments made in federally approved toll facilities such as toll roads and tolled bridges. The federal government credits states for such investments and allows them to use these credits as a match on other federal funding programs.
Conroe launched the service to Houston in 2019 funded through the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality program, which provides funding to state departments of transportation, local governments and transit agencies for projects and programs that help meet the requirements of the Clean Air Act.
Those funds ran out in March, Davis said.
“Over the past four years, the commuter service steadily built ridership and provided essential service to Conroe residents working in and traveling to Houston during the pandemic,” Davis said “As work-from-office regains ground the commuter bus program is expected to see continued ridership gains.”