Examples of some of the projects in the President’s proposed FY 2013 budget include:

• Charlotte, North Carolina, LYNX Blue Line Extension (Northeast Corridor): The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) proposed the construction of a new light rail transit line that would extend from Uptown Charlotte, the region’s central business district, northeast to the US 29 interchange and the University of North Carolina – Charlotte campus. Commuters along the I-85/US 29 corridor have suffered through increasing congestion that population increases and economic development are expected to only make worse. The LRT will be 9.3 miles and serve 11 new stations. The FTA plans to fund 50 percent of the total $1.07 billion project cost, or $534.6 million.
• Jacksonville, Florida, Southeast Corridor and North Corridor Bus Rapid Transit (BRT): The FTA recommended funding for two BRT projects in Jacksonville that will combine for 20 miles of new rapid transit routes and 21 new stations. The Southeast Corridor will receive its first recommendation for funding in the President’s budget and the FTA will continue to support development of the North Corridor. The two corridors will serve a highly transit-dependent population along extremely congested parts of the Jacksonville area. The total cost of the two projects is more than $57 million, of which FTA will cover nearly $47 million, or 80 percent of the two projects.

• Grand Rapids, Michigan, Silver Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT): The Interurban Transit Partnership proposed to implement a BRT line along Division Avenue from the Grand Rapids central business district to 60^th Street/Division Avenue. The FTA will invest 80 percent of the total $35.3 million project cost, or $28.2 million. The project is expected to offer commuters a true alternative to the highly congested US 13. The BRT will include real-time passenger information at stations, traffic signal priority, off-board fare collection, and the purchase of 10 low-floor, hybrid-fueled buses.

All the recommendations are part of the FTA’s Annual Report on Funding Recommendations for Fiscal Year 2013, available online here. Individual detailed project descriptions are available here.