The Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) Board of Directors Nov. 25 announced the approval of its local match for two federal grants totaling nearly $1.5 million to be used for key transportation projects.
CDTA was awarded the funds through the Federal Transit Administration’s Urbanized Area Formula Program to support preventative maintenance, bus and facilities programs. The funding will be used to purchase commuter buses, paratransit vehicles and shelters. CDTA is on pace to provide more than 17 million rides during its current fiscal year, surpassing last year’s record total of 16.5 million.
Federal funding supports 80 percent of the costs with the New York State Department of Transportation and CDTA providing the other 20 percent of the cost. Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement program funding supports costs associated with the acquisition of CDTA’s New Fare Collection system and park and ride signage at lots throughout the Capital Region.
In other news:
- CDTA ridership continued its climb during October with 1.6 million boarding which was up 4 percent from the same time last year. Fiscal year to date ridership totals 10 million also up 4 percent from the same period last year. The increases are fueled by redesigned services, a growing partner base and universal access relationships.
- The Board approved authorization to fund the local portion of the River Corridor Bus Rapid Transit Project Development. The River Corridor BRT is part of CDTA’s plan to implement 40 miles of BRT along high volume corridors by 2017. In September, the Board endorsed the locally preferred alternative for the River Corridor (Blue Line) between Albany and Troy via Watervliet, with branches to Cohoes and Waterford.
- CDTA employees pledged nearly double this year to the United Way campaign, posting a company record of close to $32,000, shattering the previous high of $19,000.
