USDOT Awards $96 Million to BRT Projects in Washington, Missouri and Commuter Rail in California

On April 9, FTA awarded $43 million for a new, 12-mile bus rapid transit line in Everett; $30 million to extend BRT 10 miles in Kansas City and $22.5 million to extend a North Bay commuter rail line two miles to a ferry terminal on San Francisco Bay.

2 minute read

April 17, 2018, 1:00 PM PDT

By Irvin Dawid


The grants given by Federal Transit Administration Acting Administrator K. Jane Williams comes three days after it awarded $264 million to 139 bus projects in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

"The largest award [on April 9] was $43.2 million from the FTA's Capital Investment Grants [CIG] program for Everett's Swift II Green Line BRT project," notes the AASHTO Journal on April 13.

According to Community Transit, originally called the Snohomish County Public Transportation Benefit Area Corporation, the Swift Green Line will be the second bus rapid transit line in Snohomish County after the Swift Blue Line, connecting a Boeing manufacturing center in Everett with the Canyon Park technology center in Bothell.

====================================================================================

The FTA also awarded $29.89 million, also a CIG grant, to the "Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) for its proposed Prospect MAX bus project, which will extend BRT service 10 miles south from downtown Kansas City and serve the area's second-busiest transit corridor," according to AASHTO Journal.

Missouri's largest city has had bus rapid transit since 2005 when the MAX line opened. A second MAX line opened in 2011, known as Troost MAX

Neither the Everett nor Kansas City BRT lines will feature dedicated bus lanes, but both will have traffic signal priority.

==========================================================================================

The one rail project awarded a Capital Investment Grant by the FTA on April 9 was the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART), a one-and-one-half-year-old diesel multiple unit commuter rail line that runs 43 miles from Sonoma County Airport in the north to San Rafael in southern Marin County, serving 10 stations.

"The 2.1-mile extension to the [Larkspur] Golden Gate Ferry terminal is considered a vital link that will lure commuters who travel between the North Bay and San Francisco," reports Michael Cabanatuan for the San Francisco Chronicle on April 9. "To make the trip now, SMART riders have to get off the train at the current end-of-the-line station in downtown San Rafael and take a bus to the ferry terminal or into San Francisco.

SMART had been awarded the grant from the Federal Transit Administration in February 2015, but as the Trump administration overhauled the Department of Transportation, the funding became uncertain.

The grant makes up a large chunk of the $55.4 million cost of the extension, which is expected to carry trains by the end of 2019.

"Our Larkspur connection is an important link to San Francisco and will connect residents, employers and visitors to Sonoma and Marin counties," said Judy Arnold, vice chairwoman of the SMART Board of Directors in a statement by the bi-county rail agency.

Cabanatuan writes that SMART has a northern extension planned to Cloverdale, creating a 70-mile system, making it 43 percent longer than the 49-mile mainline of the Bay Area's other commuter rail system, the San Francisco-to-San Jose Caltrain line. 

Friday, April 13, 2018 in AASHTO Journal

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight