AUSTIN, Texas — On Friday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced President Joe Biden’s 2022 budget includes $36.1 million for the construction of two new Bus Rapid Transit projects in Austin.
According to the U.S Department of Transportation, the projects are among 25 rail, BRT and streetcar projects in 12 states recommended to receive a share of $2.5 billion in competitive funding through the Federal Transit Administration’s Capital Investment Grant program.
“Across the country, communities are seeking to expand public transit as a way to create economic opportunity, improve safety, advance equity, reduce congestion and pollution, and lower the cost of living for their residents,” said Buttigieg. “These capital projects will improve life in 25 communities and are the start of what we hope will be a once-in-a-generation investment to modernize and expand public transit across the country.”
The first recommended BRT project in Austin is a 12-mile, 23-station corridor-based BRT between Downtown Austin and the Exposition Center in northeast Austin worth $17.81 million. Transit along this corridor will be by 10 40-foot electric buses and four 60-foot articulated electric buses.
The second project in Austin, a 14-mile, 19-station corridor-based BRT along Pleasant Valley Road between northeast Austin and southeast Austin, is worth $18.28 million. Transit along this BRT will include 12 40-foot electric buses and four 60-foot articulated electric buses.
Both projects will include near-level boarding stations with platforms, shelters, shade panels, benches, solar lighting, off-vehicle fare collection and mobile ticket validators.
According to the U.S Department of Transportation, these projects will create hundreds of construction and operations-related jobs and help communities in Austin expand transportation options to improve access and mobility for residents.
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: