Atlanta, December 21, 2010 — Two proposed light rail lines in the metro Atlanta region received a boost today in the form of federal funding awards. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced $25.7 million in competitively awarded grants through the Alternative Analysis grant program to help community officials in 15 states evaluate and select the best options to help place new or expanded transit systems in their communities. Cobb and Gwinnett Counties were both beneficiaries of the program.

“These grants will help communities explore how they can benefit from transit,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “It’s an exciting and important initial step in the planning process that helps ensure federal funding aligns with local and regional transportation priorities.”

Gwinnett County, the Gwinnett Village Community Improvement District (CID) and Gwinnett Place CID jointly received a $600,000 grant to fund the analysis for a line the groups have been studying for three years. The proposed line would parallel I-85, from the existing Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) station in Doraville to the Gwinnett Arena in Lawrenceville.

“We are extremely excited to receive this grant and ready to move forward with this project that seeks to provide transportation alternatives to Gwinnett’s commuters”, said Brian Allen, Gwinnett County Transportation Director. 

The Cobb County Department of Transportation also received an award in the amount of $1,360,000. The grant will aid in funding analysis of a proposed line running along the US 41/I-75 corridor between Acworth and Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority service at Arts Center Station.

“The investment proposed by Cobb Department of Transportation will offer critical options to our commuters into job centers in Atlanta and connectivity to Kennesaw State University, the Cumberland and Town Center Community Improvement Districts, shopping and entertainment venues as well as development and redevelopment opportunities along the northwest corridor, said Faye DiMassimo, director of the Cobb County Department of Transportation. "These FTA funding awards in the Atlanta region clearly position us to move our regional transportation network forward as an integrated multimodal system offering choice, access and mobility. We look forward to working with all our partners in the accomplishment of this important effort and to turning the vision into a reality."

The Alternatives Analysis grant program is the first key milestone in the FTA New Starts process – the primary source for federally funded transit projects.  Conducting an “alternatives analysis” ensures that various costs and benefits, route options, and other important considerations are taken into account as part of FTA’s capital planning process, known as New Starts. The analysis is complete once a locally preferred alternative is selected and adopted as part of the affected region's long-range transportation plan. 

New Starts has provided between $1.5 billion and $1.8 billion annually for major transit construction projects in recent years; an additional $750 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds were advanced to New Starts projects in 2009.

The 24 winning proposals were submitted by transit agencies from across the country as part of a nationwide competition. Winning proposals demonstrated need by identifying a substantial transportation challenge in a particular corridor and proposing technical work that would provide cost and benefit information on the alternatives studied to address the problem. Priority was given to project sponsors coordinating transit project development with relevant public housing agencies, or with relevant energy or environmental public agencies.

The agency reviewed 67 applications from 30 states seeking a total of $73 million in funds.

The winning project proposals are listed here: http://www.fta.dot.gov/news/news_events_12233.html