Houston transit agency officials attribute the recent awarding of up to $18.5 million in grant funds to help build a new transit center to efficient project management execution.
The federal allotment to METRO was originally earmarked to assist with financing for the METRORail Northline extension, but in the wake of the project’s early completion under budget, METRO sought to utilize those savings for additional transit improvements.
The Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) approved the use of a portion of those savings to help build a new Northline Transit Center at the end of the Red Line.
The transit center will have seven bus bays and a 660-space parking garage, with officials estimating the total project to be $37 million.
“We are very pleased with the federal government’s decision,” METRO President and CEO Tom Lambert said. “As METRO continues to look for opportunities to improve mobility throughout our region, federal participation will be critical.”
METRO is building or improving 21 transit centers and Park & Rides under the agency’s METRONext Moving Forward Plan approved by voters last fall.
“FTA considers and approves additional project activities using the federal share of a project’s cost savings,” FTA Acting Administrator K. Jane Williams said. “We encourage project sponsors who deliver complete projects under budget to discuss these options with us to maximize the benefits that cost savings can bring to their communities.”