FTA webinar to discuss new transit rules

Transit funding changes

Steve Hawley, Mar 03, 10.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) will hold a one-hour webinar on Wednesday, March 10 at 2 pm Central Time to discuss the New Starts and Small Starts programs, according to a Reconnecting America email. The event is free, but registration is required.

The New Starts program is the primary way the federal government finances local transit projects such as light rail, commuter rail, and bus rapid transit. The FTA plans to distribute $75 million each to Houston’s North and Southeast light rail lines through the New Starts program in fiscal year 2011.

In January, the Obama administration announced an overhaul of certain New Starts funding rules in an effort to benefit transit projects nationwide. Under the Bush administration, the biggest funding factor was cost-effectiveness, which ignores many of the benefits of transit. The new rules will weight six factors equally: economic development, mobility improvements, environmental benefits, operating efficiencies, cost-effectiveness, and land use.

The Small Starts program funds projects that cost less than $250 million overall, such as most streetcar projects.

The webinar will feature FTA Deputy Administrator Therese McMillan and transportation advocate Jom Erkel of the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy.

FTA overview: New Starts program
FTA overview: Small Starts program