Recent Streetsblog USA posts about Federal Transit Administration

Will Old Transit Systems Eat Up All the New Starts Grants?

By Tanya Snyder | Dec 17, 2013 | 8 Comments

One of MAP-21’s many mixed blessings was the New Starts Core Capacity program. It expanded eligibility for New Starts grants — normally reserved as capital assistance for new transit lines — to existing corridors. To qualify, the system just had to show that the improvements would expand the capacity of the line by at least […]

Shutdown: Congress Prepares to Furlough One-Third of U.S. DOT Staff

By Tanya Snyder | Sep 30, 2013 | 4 Comments

Looks like we’re heading for a real, honest-to-goodness government shutdown tomorrow due to a childish Congressional food fight over budgets and health care. Already this year, thousands of government employees faced furloughs due to sequestration, and now they’re looking at an indefinite unpaid leave. It’ll last until Congress can play nice and make a deal […]

Lawmakers Fret About Impact of Budget Cuts on Transit

By Tanya Snyder | Mar 14, 2013 | 2 Comments

“In 2014, federal investment in surface transportation — which is currently about $50 billion per year — will drop to $6 billion or $7 billion. In one year.” Those were the dire words spoken by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) at the start of this morning’s Transportation & Infrastructure Committee hearing on MAP-21. What he meant […]

Sequester Would Cut New Starts By $100M, Could Trigger FTA Furloughs

By Tanya Snyder | Feb 28, 2013 | 2 Comments

The consequences of the near-certain sequester for aviation have been well publicized by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood’s recent media blitz, but less well-known are the effects for surface transportation. LaHood broke that silence in a memo to department staff earlier this week and released yesterday by Politico, warning that even after taking measures like “instituting hiring freezes, cutting contracts, […]

FTA Grapples With Likely Funding Cuts

By Tanya Snyder | Jan 18, 2013 | 2 Comments

After fighting to maintain reasonable funding levels in the transportation bill – and for the inclusion of dedicated transit funding in the first place – the Federal Transit Administration now finds itself up against almost certain funding cuts that imperil rail and bus expansion projects, as well as the agency’s own staffing. The fiscal cliff deal hasn’t […]

FTA Opens the Door For More Transit Expansions to Receive Federal Funding

By Angie Schmitt | Jan 7, 2013 | 4 Comments

One of the most important federal transit programs has undergone a makeover, and transit advocates are cheering the results. The Federal Transit Administration late last month released new evaluation criteria for transit projects vying for funds from the New Starts and Small Starts programs. These two programs dispensed a total of $2 billion last year, providing […]

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