U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced today that $2.5 billion is recommended in President Biden’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 budget to advance the construction or completion of 25 rail, bus rapid transit (BRT) and streetcar projects in 12 states. These projects, competitively funded through the Federal Transportation Agency’s (FTA) Capital Investment Grants (CIG) Program, are anticipated to create hundreds of construction and operations-related jobs and help communities expand transportation options that improve access and mobility for residents.
FTA’s FY 2022 Annual Report on Funding Recommendations includes two IndyGo projects, the Purple Line [PDF] and the Blue Line [PDF]. According to the FTA, federal funds will provide $80.98M (or 50%) of the $161.95M total cost for the Purple Line. Due to changes made by IndyGo to the route alignment, an environmental re-evaluation was conducted and an updated Categorical Exclusion approved by FTA in November 2020. IndyGo anticipates receipt of a Small Starts Grant Agreement in June 2021, and the start of revenue service in July 2024.
The $220M Blue Line project is requesting $100M (45.5% of the cost.) According to the FTA IndyGo anticipates completing the environmental review process of the Blue Line BRT corridor with a documented Categorical Exclusion from FTA in April 2021, receipt of a Small Starts Grant Agreement in late 2022, and the start of revenue service in April 2025.
