SAN ANTONIO – After clearing key hurdles in its quest to ship the region’s first advanced rapid transit line via 2027, VIA Metropolitan Transit is now pursuing an alternative federal funding path for a 2d ART hall.
That pivot may just speed up the approval process and the development of an East-West line to supplement the company’s North-South plan already in movement.
The estimated value to construct an ART path operating east to west within the Alamo City is more or less $300 million, in accordance to VIA CEO Jeffrey Arndt. The company may just safe up to part that quantity throughout the Federal Transit Administration’s Small Starts Capital Investment Grants Program.
It’s a unique way than VIA is taking with the North-South line with its pursuit of a better federal funding fit throughout the FTA’s New Starts grant program. But the payoff might be an previous crowning glory date.
“Small Starts is a streamlined program that leads to fewer FTA decision points between beginning the project and achieving grant funding,” Arndt stated.
If VIA had mimicked its FTA funding technique for its North-South, or Green Line, the company would have had extra flexibility.
“But it’s a longer process,” he stated, noting there may be no ensure VIA would qualify for a bigger proportion of federal funding.
VIA will nonetheless want to meet positive FTA necessities prior to securing Small Starts funding, together with figuring out different funding assets and finishing enough engineering and design paintings for the proposed East-West, or Silver Line, undertaking.
The plan, Arndt stated, is to have that 2d ART line operational via 2029. It would supplement VIA’s preliminary Green Line that may run on devoted roadway from the airport space via downtown and to the Missions space south of the middle town.
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