Boxer Lauds Investment in California Transit Projects

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) lauded today’s announcement from the U.S. Department of Transportation of nearly $19 million in new funding for four California regional bus services.

Senator Boxer said, “Investing in mass transit creates jobs, reduces commute times and improves air quality. I am so pleased to see that the Department of Transportation has funded these four California projects.”

In all, the Department of Transportation invested nearly $300 million in transit programs across the country through two competitive grant programs, known as the Urban Circulator Grant Program and the Bus and Bus Livability Grant Program.

The California grant recipients are:

Project: Phelan Loop Bus Facility Project
Sponsor: San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
Grant amount: $6,822,106

Building the Phelan Loop Bus Facility paves the way for landscaped open space, new retail space, and new affordable housing, all next to public transportation, and within walking distance of both a major transit hub and San Francisco City College. This upgraded transit infrastructure will be a key component of a transit system expected to grow from today’s 700,000 weekday boardings to weekday boardings of more than one million by 2030.

Project: The Metro Express: Hammer Lane Corridor Bus Rapid Transit
Sponsor: San Joaquin Regional Transit District
Grant amount: $5,227,161

Hammer Lane Corridor BRT is the third phase of a comprehensive connected bus rapid transit system in Stockton. This new route, using easily identifiable hybrid electric buses, will run about 6.3 miles along the east-west Hammer Lane Corridor connecting Interstate 5 and State Route 99. The project will reduce wait times at bus stops, offer convenient scheduling for passengers and reduce travel times. Phase one runs along the Pacific Avenue Corridor and phase two runs along the Airport Way Corridor.

Project: East Plaza Transit Loop Road
Sponsor: Union City Transit
Grant amount: $1,909,974

The East Plaza Transit Loop Road is an integral part of the Union City Intermodal Station, which is the centerpiece of a high-density, transit-oriented district. The project represents a collaboration among transit operators including Union City Transit, AC Transit, BART, SamTrans, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority and the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority.

Project: Anaheim Regional Intermodal Transit Center
Sponsor: Orange County Transit Agency
Grant amount: $5,000,000

Phase one of the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center project will include 66,000 square feet of transit facility, necessary track and bridge work, parking and utility relocation. The completion of the Phase 1 station is expected in 2013. When completed, the transit center will be a premier regional, multimodal transportation hub in Orange County on a 16-acre site in Anaheim that is situated along the Los Angeles to San Diego rail line and bounded by State Route 57, and in close proximity to the Santa Ana Freeway (I-5).

A complete list of projects funded by the Department of Transportation is available at: http://www.fta.dot.gov/news/news_events_11820.html.

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