JTA receives federal grant to help complete Bus Rapid Transit project to Orange Park (Courtesy of the Jacksonville Business Journal) — The Jacksonville Transportation Authority’s latest Bus Rapid Transit development received an assist from the Federal Transit Administration.
Late Friday afternoon, the FTA announced allocation of $250 million in Capital Investment Grants. The money was part of a package outlined by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 that provided funds for bus rapid transit, streetcar and light rail projects that were nearing completion.
The JTA will use the $2.4 million it received from the program to complete its fourth bus rapid transit route.
The Orange Line is a 12.9-mile route from the Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center at LaVilla to the Orange Park Mall that is slated to open later this year. The $33.2 million project was funded primarily through federal ($16.6 million) and state ($8.3) monies. The JTA was responsible for the remaining $8.3 million.
“The funding allocated to the JTA by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 will offset some of the local match funding for the First Coast Flyer Orange Line,” JTA CEO Nathaniel P. Ford Sr. said in a statement.
The Jacksonville Transportation First Coast Flyer bus rapid transit route is expected to expand with the completion of the Orange Line into Orange Park in September 2021.
The Jacksonville Transportation First Coast Flyer bus rapid transit route is expected to expand with the completion of the Orange Line into Orange Park in September 2021.
Bus rapid transit line work starts for fall 2022 launch of passenger service
“Public transit opens new opportunities for people, and delivers environmental and economic benefits to communities,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. “We are delighted to provide support for these projects, which will help communities recover from the pandemic and bring public transit to more people in the months and years to come”
Photo courtesy of JTA.