WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Barbara A. Mikulski and Benjamin L. Cardin (both D-Md.) today announced that the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has awarded the Paul S. Sarbanes Silver Spring Transit Center an additional $823, 878 from the FTA bus and bus facilities development program. This grant completes approximately $50 million of federal funding toward a total project cost of about $93 million.

“As more people choose to make their homes in Silver Spring and surrounding Maryland communities, people are finding it harder and harder to get around,” said Senator Mikulski, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development. “More and more time spent in the car commuting and running errands is adding stress to families, their wallets and their cars. The Paul S. Sarbanes Silver Spring Transit Center will streamline the moving parts of the area’s public transportation, making it easier to get around, get kids to school and go to work quickly and safely.”

“Silver Spring is a vibrant and growing destination for people to live and work in the Washington metro region,” said Senator Cardin, a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee. “This new facility is a critical part of modernizing our aging transportation infrastructure, making it easier for residents and visitors to take public transit and helping to ease the burden on our over-crowded roads. Investments like this fulfill the federal government’s special obligation to its employees and the region to support people-friendly and environment-friendly development.

When completed, the Paul S. Sarbanes Silver Spring Transit Center will be a state of the art, multi-modal transit facility located in downtown Silver Spring. The Transit Center is a vital part of the ongoing Silver Spring revitalization project. It brings together bus (Metrobus, Ride-On, MTA Commuter, Van-Go, inter-city bus lines, and the University of Maryland shuttle), rail (Metrorail, Amtrak, and MARC), and automobile traffic (taxi and kiss-and-ride) and includes designated space for the eventual construction of the Purple Line. The new facility incorporates connections to regional bicycle and hiking trails into its pedestrian friendly design.