METRO's Share of Economic Stimulus Package
Monday, February 23, 2009 5:28 PM
METRO's portion of the federal economic stimulus package is expected to be $92 million.
METRO has identified a list of priority projects that may be advanced to spend that money. We are working with the Houston-Galveston Area Council to finalize the list of qualified projects.
Frank J. Wilson, METRO's president & CEO, said last Thursday after METRO's board meeting that the agency also expects to get an undetermined amount of discretionary funds from the Federal Transit Administration. METRO will have to compete against other projects across the country for these additional FTA funds.
In December 2008, METRO submitted five "Letters of No Prejudice" (LONPs) to the FTA, requesting permission to proceed with early construction activities on the North and Southeast rail lines. The LONPs guarantee that the FTA will reimburse METRO for monies spent on these activities, if and when Full Funding Grant Agreements are approved.
In January 2009, the FTA approved the first LONP for the procurement of rail vehicles. The second LONP for the advanced design work is expected to be approved this week.
Click here to find out preliminary numbers from the FTA on how money will be distributed for transit projects. There are also helpful links related to transit and the stimulus package. Click here to register for regular FTA updates on the AARA.
If you want the administration's official Web site created to track stimulus spending, click http://www.whitehouse.gov/. However, there's not much solid information up right now.