TUCSON, Ariz. – This week, Rep. Grijalva announced that the first round of new federal transit funding under the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is heading to Arizona to strengthen public transportation systems, support transit jobs across the state and make urgently-needed investments, including new bus and railcar acquisitions, facility upgrades and other key projects.
“By casting my vote for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, I was proud to help deliver the largest transit investment in American history,” said Rep. Grijalva. “Those funds are now coming home to Arizona, upgrading transit systems, improving reliability and supporting good-paying, union jobs. It’s critical that we continue to pursue funding that requires transportation infrastructure to be both sustainable, equitable and resilient, and I am committed to working with our state and local leaders to ensure that Arizonans reap the benefits of these investments.”
Transit systems have suffered from decades of underinvestment, causing disruptions and increasing travel times for passengers. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, signed by President Biden in November 2021, represents the largest-ever investment in America’s public transit. In Arizona and across the country, this first round of transit funding includes:
- $38.1 million for Arizona/ $2.3 billion nationally in flexible funding to help communities make transit safer and more efficient, funding new buses and rail cars, track and station repairs and other safety initiatives.
- $2.8 million for Arizona/ $1.96 billion nationally to ensure transit systems are in a state of good repair, improving reliability by rehabilitating trains and buses, tracks, power systems and transit stations.
- $3.4 million for Arizona/ $177 million nationally to upgrade bus fleets and repair old buses and bus facilities.
- $2.4 million for Arizona / $160 million nationally to support transit for seniors and persons with disabilities, funding key resources such as wheelchair lifts, mobility management programs and accessible transit vehicles.
The investments announced this week, administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration, total nearly $6 billion in funding that will be made available to transit agencies, states and Tribal governments across the country for the first 4.5 months of fiscal year 2022. Additional funding will become available following passage of a full-year appropriations bill, which is currently being negotiated in the House and Senate.
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