FTA Awards $343MM for Station Accessibility Projects
Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
(FTA Image)
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) on May 28 reported that eight transit systems in eight states will share $343 million to make their rail stations “more accessible and in line with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards” by installing elevators, renovating platforms for level boarding, improving signage, and improving visual and audio systems.
The funding is provided through FTA’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 All Stations Accessibility Program (ASAP).
“Inaccessibility is a significant hurdle for riders using rail systems built before 1990, known as legacy systems,” the federal agency said. “More than 900 transit legacy stations are not fully accessible today.”
In response to the Notice of Funding of Opportunity released in late 2023, FTA said it received nearly $1.1 billion in funding requests for the $343 million available in 2024, “demonstrating the high demand for the program.” ASAP was created under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law), which provides a total of $1.75 billion in funding through FY 2026. FTA in December 2022 announced $686 million in FY 2022 and 2023 funding to 15 projects in nine states through ASAP.
FTA reported that the FY 2024 project awards are:
“Since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, great strides have been made in improving accessibility, but there is still a lot of work to accomplish,” FTA Acting Administrator Veronica Vanterpool said. “By modernizing rail systems across the country, the ASAP program provides funding to address these overdue improvements. We want to ensure that all customers can use transit systems with ease and reliability, including people with disabilities, those using mobility devices, and other users needing more accessible spaces.”
