SORTA seeking applications for second round of transit infrastructure fund grants

The Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA) will begin accepting applications next month for the second annual round of Transit Infrastructure Fund (TIF) grants toward road, bridge, sidewalk and other upgrades throughout Cincinnati Metro’s Hamilton County service area. 

In last year’s inaugural round of grants, SORTA awarded $227 million – including $205 million over the next 25 years for the Western Hills Viaduct replacement – to 30 projects across 22 Hamilton County communities.  

SORTA begins accepting applications for the next round of grants on April 1. The deadline for submitting applications will be 2 p.m. EST, June 30. Updated application and project guidelines can be found online. 

The TIF was established after Hamilton County voters decided to replace SORTA’s existing funding model, which relied primarily on the city’s earnings tax, with a new funding structure – a 0.8 percent county sales tax over the next 25 years. A quarter of that revenue (0.2 percent) is directed toward infrastructure improvements such as road, bridge and sidewalk upgrades that fall within Cincinnati Metro’s service area and would benefit bus service as well as other road users.