Transit and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was released last week. Many people have been speculating and waiting on the contents of the bill. The expectations were that it would contain a significant investment in our nation’s transportation infrastructure. Maybe my judgment is skewed by the large sums the government has been spending over the past few months, but the money allocated to mass transit seems quite small. It does not appear to be a major priority. The bill includes a total of $10.1 billion dollars for mass transit related projects across the country. Roads and bridge funding accounts for over $30 billion. It is not surprising that highway funding outpaces mass transit. The $10.1 billion for mass transit is broken down as follows:

New Construction: $1 billion for Capital Investment Grants for new commuter rail or other light rail systems to increase public use of mass transit and to speed projects already in construction.

Upgrades and Repair: $2 billion to modernize existing transit systems, including renovations to stations, security systems, computers, equipment, structures, signals, and communications.

Transit Capital Assistance: $6 billion to purchase buses and equipment needed to increase public transportation and improve intermodal and transit facilities.

Amtrak and Intercity Passenger Rail Construction Grants: $1.1 billion to improve the speed and capacity of intercity passenger rail service.

The Federal Transit Administration already has $2.4 billion in pre-approved projects and the American Public Transportation Association has identified 787 ready-to-go transit projects totaling $15.5 billion. The repair backlog for mass transit is estimated to be nearly $50 billion. Obviously, not all needs will be met and for the most part, we should not expect any newly proposed projects to be funded by this legislation. Especially with the short start times required by the bill. Priority will be given to projects that can award bids in 120 days. However, Nashville and the region may see some small upgrades to the existing mass transit system. We will have to wait and see what they are. For more information see the links below.

Links
Summary of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
Committee on Appropriations Website (Details of Bill)
Transportation for America Analysis of Legislation

-Brian