The PRSC has released the preliminary list of projects that will receive FTA grants from the stimulus bill in our area. Here’s a map of the projects, and here’s the pdf of the list. There’s a lot of money for new buses, $1 million for the monorail (!!!) and even $341,000 for preventative maintence on the SLU streetcar. There’s $4.6 million for North Link acceleration and $4.6 million for track and signals on the M street to Lakewood line that Sounder and Amtrak want to install as part of the Point Defiance Bypass.
Funding by agency and project below the fold.
I apologize for the ugly tables.
| SEATTLE-TACOMA-EVERETT URBANIZED AREA | ||
| Agency | Title | Recommended |
| Community Transit | Bus Replacement (40 foot & Double Decker Buses) | $11,172,340 |
| Community Transit | Preventive Maintenance | $1,109,645 |
| Everett Transit Transit | Stop Enunciators Purchase and Installation (73 Vehicles) | $450,000 |
| Everett Transit | Everett Preventive Maintenance | $862,285 |
| King County Ferry District | Maintenance Barge & Equipment | $1,314,011 |
| King County Metro | Vehicle Maintenance | $25,000,000 |
| King County Metro | Acquisition of 40ft & 60ft Hybrid Buses | $42,940,537 |
| King County Metro | # Burien Transit Oriented Development | $3,000,000 |
| Pierce County Ferry Opns. | M/V Christine Anderson Preservation/Electrical System Upgrade | $1,274,011 |
| Pierce County Ferry Opns. | Anderson Island Ferry Terminal Preservation | $25,000 |
| Pierce County Ferry Opns. | Ketron Island Ferry Terminal Preservation | $15,000 |
| Pierce Transit | Preventive Maintenance | $4,400,000 |
| Pierce Transit | Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Compressor, Filter and Backup Power Upgrade | $1,571,075 |
| Pierce Transit | Acquisition of Alternative Fuel (Hybrid-Electric or CNG) Buses | $5,400,000 |
| City of Seattle | Seattle Monorail Train Safety Improvements | $1,000,000 |
| City of Seattle | South Lake Union Streetcar (PM) | $314,011 |
| Sound Transit | University Link Light Rail Construction (accelerate light rail to Northgate) | $4,612,221 |
| Sound Transit | Clean Fuels Buses (East King) | $4,612,221 |
| Sound Transit | * Mountlake Terrace Freeway Station Construction | $ 4 ,612,221 |
| Sound Transit | Lakewood-Tacoma Commuter Rail (M Street – Lakewood New Track and Signal) | $4,612,221 |
| Sound Transit | Tukwila Commuter Rail Station – Accelerated Final Design and Construction | $4,612,221 |
| Washington State Ferries | ** System-wide Vessel Preservation (Jumbo, Super, Issaquah, and E-State Class) | $4,246,042 |
| Washington State Ferries | ** System-wide Terminal Preservation Projects | $4,246,041 |
| Total STE UZA ‘Top Priority’ | $131,401,103 | |
| BREMERTON URBANIZED AREA PRIORITIES | ||
| Agency | Title | Recommended |
| Kitsap Transit | Small Vessels, for Bremerton-Port Orchard POF service | $875,000 |
| Kitsap Transit | Purchase Vans | $1,890,493 |
| Kitsap Transit | Main Base Expansion | $95,889 |
| Total Bremerton UZA ‘Top Priority’ | $ 2,861,382 | |
| MARYSVILLE URBANIZED AREA PRIORITIES | ||
| Agency | Title | Recommended |
| Community Transit | Bus Replacement (40 foot & Double Decker Buses) | $1,852,474 |
| Total Marysville UZA ‘Top Priority’ | $1,852,474 | |
| TOTAL | $136,114,959 | |
# Funding assigned to the Burien TOD assumes funding in the amount of $3 million in additional ARRA funds to fully fund this project. If additional funding is not secured King County Metro will allocate the funding assigned to the Burien TOD project to its number two priority project the Acquisition of 40ft & 60 ft Hybrid Buses.
* ST has accepted the responsibility for the STE UZA transit enhancement requirements. The Mountlake Terrace Freeway Station project has Transit Enhancement elements.
** WSF will program all of STE UZA’s ARRA FTA Fixed Guideway Funds, at $6.7 million, and $1.8 million in FTA 5307 funds, for the $8.5 M shown. The 5307 and fixed guideway funds will both be programed to the two WSF projects shown.
Here’s the breakdown of funding by transit agency. Keep in mind the amounts here were decided by a formula created by the FTA in DC. This formal is special to the stimulus cash, and has never been used before.
| Preliminary FTA Grants from PSRC, funding by agency | |
| Agency | Amount |
| Community Transit | $14,134,000 |
| Everett Transit | $1,312,000 |
| King County Metro | $70,941,000 |
| King County Ferry District | $1,314,000 |
| Kitsap Transit | $2,861,000 |
| Pierce County Ferry Operations | $1,314,000 |
| Pierce Transit | $11,371,000 |
| Seattle SDOT | $1,314,000 |
| Sound Transit | $23,061,000 |
| Washington State Ferries | $8,492,000 |
| Total | $ 136,115,000 |
Of course I’d have preferred more for Sound Transit, but this is really good news for Metro, and every bit helps for ST.
This still doesn’t get Sounder to Lakewood, and it doesn’t help East Link, but it doesn’t hurt.
I had vaguely hoped for some I-90 HOV money, but oh well.
Since when was Sounder to Lakewood not going to happen? This helps get it done, but I’m pretty sure the money was already there.
And that’s funny that Marysville is it’s own urbanized area.
The money’s there if they don’t meet the requirements the City of Tacoma has imposed, as I understand it. We can’t afford the grade separations by some $50 million.
Hopefully the HSR or Amtrak money can go to fund the remaining unfunded pieces of the Pt. Defiance bypass.
What burr has the City of Tacoma got up its butt about the connector?
I can kind of understand the City of Tacoma’s POV. A couple of the streets the connector will cross are quite busy, including Pacific. Also I believe Sound Transit wants to build an embankment for part of the ROW. This will disrupt the street grid in those areas.
Considering the connector will eventually be used by Amtrak Cascades and the Coast Starlight grade separation is probably the right way to go even if the initial cost is greater.
Ouch. Why is Metro buying new busses while cutting service? Much more of that money should have gone to U Link and East Link.
The money for metro does help some with their budget hole.
Yes. It’s maintenance and purchases they don’t have to do themselves now.
I’m trying to figure this out too. I mean, even in the best case scenario, we aren’t going to need fleet expansion for awhile, even if we don’t end up losing service. Maybe they’re replacement coaches? The 40-foot Gilligs are getting pretty old but I think they still have a few years left in them and they’re the oldest in the fleet and if they do have to cut service, it seems like they can pull the aging buses off the road as the cutbacks take place.
Maybe they’re planning for far in the future, but I think that money could go to better use.
Define ‘a few’. A bus order can take a couple of years to complete. And some of our 60 footers are way out of warranty.
I’m not sure how long the average bus will stay on the road (I thought many were able to last closer to 16-20 years). The oldest buses in the fleet are the 40-foot Gilligs which started arriving in 1996 (according to the website). The New Flyers started showing up in 1998. Both of those fleets took a couple years to complete delivery. Unless I’m wrong (and I very well could be) I would think we should have at least 3 more years on even the oldest buses.
I know the Americanas were around for 16-17 years. The tunnel buses only lasted about 14-15 years though. It seems like most other agencies have buses that have lasted longer than that as well.
Some coaches could be for rapidride. Even if the new coaches aren’t “really” needed might as well take the money while it is there. Some of the stimulus money was limited to things like buying clean-fuel buses. Besides newer coaches will have lower maintenance costs and any used coaches can be sold.
I believe the money was allocated by formula so it couldn’t go for ST uses.
Congress didn’t see fit to cover transit agencies operating shortfalls so capital projects and some forms of maintenance were the only things the stimulus money could be used for.
what about getting central link down to S. 200th St. faster now? i seem to remember that they wanted to do something like that with the stimulus money
It turned there was much less money than expected
Well I think there is some money yet to be handed out directly via the FTA.
If not then there is always the bill that will replace SAFETEA-LU
I think there’s $100 million in “energy efficiency” money for transit still to be handed out by the feds, and $1.5 bn in “competitive grants” that will be handed out to any form of transportation project, including transit.
There’s also $750 million for “new starts” and U-Link could still possibly get some of that cash, though I think it’ll instead go to “new starts” projects that are already in construction. That may mean that U-Link gets some money earlier, since it has been approved and the other projects are getting their cash sooner.
Isn’t the I-5 underpinning work for U-Link supposed to start any day? Isn’t U-link design complete? So things at this point are just a matter of getting permits and bidding contracts right?
Ground breaking is March 6th.
Pierce Transit Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Compressor, $1,571,075
Pierce Transit Acquisition of Alternative Fuel (Hybrid-Electric or CNG) Buses $5,400,000
Is Pierce County currently running CNG fueled buses or is this to get it started? Strange working “or” on the acquisition of buses. Would it be a hybrid CNG/electric instead of the more common Diesel/electric?
Sound Transit Clean Fuels Buses (East King) $4,612,221
What exactly is a clean fuel bus? Gasoline makes a wonderful solvent ;-)
PT has been running CNG buses for some time now.
The ST clean fuel buses just mean ultra low sulfur, I think.
A little checking and I’m pretty sure clean fuel buses is code speak for hybrid diesels. A special fuel blend would be really expensive and prone to shortages. I wasn’t aware that the hybrids were as advanced as they are. Regenerative braking and other cool stuff. The CNG hybrids hold even more promise. Government fleet vehicles are the natural place to jump start a switch from crude oil.
Looks like they have the priorities right, now if we could just increase overall funding!
I’m confused. Is this a wish list or a guarantee??
Neither. This is the preliminary list of projects that will get funded by the PSRC. The amount of money matches the amount that the PRSC will give away, so it’s not a wishlist.
I have a question for you TransitWonks. I think that small electric buses running around local communities in range of transit stations or BRT hubs would make sense. Suburban Maryland has them. They just do a loop de loop through all the housing and office parks. I know KC Metro seems to need these big articulated buses, and I guess they are full, but they just are not terribly nimble.
Anything like that in the thinking?
Bellevue has had plans for a circulator route for a while. They’d use “matching funds” via transit now, but the money’s not there right now. Here’s the map:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003708762_circulator16e.html
Martin also posted the idea of rainer valley circulator routes, though these are not going to happen.
https://seattletransitblog.wpcomstaging.com/2008/08/31/downtown-circulators/
The idea for the Bellevue circulator is long over due. And “free” is a very good price! I really don’t see why this can’t eliminate the need for tunneling and two mega expensive downtown Link stations.
All the routes would operate from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends. They would move about 20 people an hour
I sure hope that last phrase is a misprint. 10 minute headways and 20 people an hour… sounds an awful lot like they surveyed Bellevue residents about how likely they would be to use transit ;-)
I’d like to see Pierce Transit get some Articulateds for route 1. That is the most crowded route on their system, and they run it at 10 minute headways on weekdays (if memory serves). It is insane. Something has got to be done there. The only problem I can see with this is the Parkland TC, which is backwardly built anyway. Or at least run backwardly.
Instead of articulateds how about some double talls? They hold more people and can use the same bays as 40′ buses.
So since these are preliminary numbers, what’s next? Are they taking comments/suggestions? Are there things we want to push them on?
From a quick glance, I like the fact that Metro seems to be getting a sizable amount of money… And I like fuel efficient buses… Though it might not be the most needed place for the money. If they are replacing buses that are still usable and they can sell them (like was discussed above), how much help would that be for their budget crises? Are they actually worth much or would it be better to use them to the normal end of life?
North Link is getting 4.6 million dollars? That is a drop in the bucket! Will it make a big difference?
I think that is to accelerate planning and other preparatory work. Yeah, $4.6 million buys a lot of drawings, survey work, etc.