The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) recently announced that SANDAG will receive an $80 million supplemental appropriation in Capital Investment Grants (CIG) funds to build the Mid-Coast Trolley project that will allow SANDAG to save on long-term financing costs.
The Mid-Coast Trolley, an 11-mile expansion of the Metropolitan Transit System’s Blue Line, broke ground in 2016. At that time, the FTA guaranteed a $1.04 billion matching grant for the $2.17 billion expansion project, over a 10-year period.
“This is a big win for the San Diego Region,” said SANDAG Chair and Del Mar City Councilmember Terry Sinnott. “I’d like to thank Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer for tirelessly working to make this happen. Not only do these funds support jobs and businesses in the region critical to construction of the project, this Trolley expansion will provide high-frequency transit to one of the densest employment areas in the region, relieving congestion, reducing parking needs, and increasing access to jobs.”
The Mid-Coast Trolley will provide a much-needed transit alternative along its corridor, which stretches from Old Town in the south, to UC San Diego and University City in the north.
“We’ve been pushing hard for additional transportation funding for the Mid-Coast Trolley extension to create a more vibrant transit network for the San Diego region,” said Faulconer, who helped secure the supplemental appropriation. “This support from the Federal Transit Administration will help us deliver one of the largest and most significant transit projects in San Diego history on time and on budget. It will also save local taxpayers millions of dollars that can be used for other critical transportation upgrades.”
The FTA $1.04 billion grant guarantee, was allocated over a 10-year period beginning in FY2016. The second-year federal allocation for the project in 2017 was $50 million (rather than the expected $125 million). The $80 million provided Wednesday fulfills the $125 million federal funding commitment for FY 2017, and also provides an additional $5 million that will allow SANDAG to save on long-term borrowing costs.
Revenue from TransNet, the countywide half-cent sales tax for transportation, will cover half of the $2.1 billion Mid-Coast Trolley Project’s total project.
The Mid-Coast Trolley Project will add nine new stations, providing access to Mission Bay, Pacific Beach, the VA Medical Center, the UC San Diego campus, and the dense residential and commercial areas along Genesee Avenue in University City.
In addition to SANDAG, the FTA granted funding to four other transit projects in California, Minnesota, and Texas. The FTA has allocated $1.86 billion of the $2.62 billion in FY 2018 CIG funds appropriated for projects by Congress.
To learn more about the Mid-Coast Trolley Project , visit KeepSanDiegoMoving.com/Midcoast.