FTA awards $16.6 million in TOD planning grants
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) awarded grants to U.S. communities that are developing new or expanded mass transit systems through its Pilot Program for Transit-Oriented Development (TOD).
The $16.6 million in funds will benefit 20 organizations who are integrating land use and transportation planning efforts with eligible transit projects. The grants will fund comprehensive planning to support transit ridership, multimodal connectivity and mixed-use development near transit stations.
"Convenient and safe access to public transportation can improve mobility," said FTA Acting Administrator K. Jane Williams.
FTA’s TOD Pilot Program was established under the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) in 2012 and continued by the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act in 2015. The program is authorized through fiscal year 2020.
The grant awards range between $250,000 and $2 million, with seven organizations received more than $1 million. Those organizations include:
- Maryland Department of Transportation will receive $2,000,000 to plan for TOD along the Maryland Purple Line, a 16.2-mile light-rail project under construction linking Montgomery and Prince George’s counties.
- Chicago Transit Authority in Illinois will receive $1,480,000 to plan for TOD along a proposed 5.3-mile southern extension of the Red Line.
- Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority in Florida will receive $1,200,000 to plan for TOD along the proposed Central Avenue Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project, an 11-mile BRT line connecting downtown St. Petersburg to St. Pete Beach.
- Metro in Portland, Ore., will receive $1,076,000 to work with the city of Portland to identify affordable housing, economic development and business stabilization opportunities along a proposed 2.3-mile streetcar extension to Montgomery Park.
- Jacksonville Transportation Authority in Florida will receive $1,015,280 to plan for TOD along the proposed Ultimate Urban Circulator, which is the planned modernization of the existing Skyway monorail system in Jacksonville into an autonomous circulator.
- The city of Jackson in Mississippi will receive $1,000,000 to reshape development along the ONELINE project, a bus rapid transit system running from Fondren through downtown to Jackson State University.
- The city of Winston-Salem in North Carolina will receive $1,000,000 to develop a comprehensive plan for the 5.4-mile corridor along the North-South Urban Circulator, a proposed streetcar connecting colleges, jobs and the city's downtown area.
For a full list of projects to receive grants, please visit FTA's website.
In Fiscal Year 2018, FTA has awarded more than $15 billion in funding through both formula and competitive grant programs to support public transportation.
Mischa Wanek-Libman | Group Editorial Director
Mischa Wanek-Libman is director of communications with Transdev North America. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the transportation industry covering construction projects, engineering challenges, transit and rail operations and best practices.
Wanek-Libman has held top editorial positions at freight rail and public transportation business-to-business publications including as editor-in-chief and editorial director of Mass Transit from 2018-2024. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.
She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and served 14 years as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.
She is a graduate of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.
