CONGRESSWOMAN JOHNSON ANNOUNCES A $700,000 FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION (FTA) GRANT TO DALLAS AREA RAPID TRANSIT (DART) FOR POSSIBLE SECOND LIGHT RAIL

Dallas, Texas (Monday, March 14, 2011) – Today, Congresswoman Johnson announced that DART will receive a $700,000 grant from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for the Alternatives Analysis (AA) Program for possible alternatives for a second downtown Dallas light rail line.

The grant will provide funding to update the Downtown Dallas Transit Study/ Dallas Central Business District (CBD) AA/Draft Environmental Impact Statement published in April of 2010.  

The previous AA document outlined four possible alternatives for a second downtown Dallas light rail line. A second light rail transit (LRT) line in the CBD will increase ridership capacity in Downtown Dallas to support increased public demand because of anticipated regional growth, enhance operations and provide schedule flexibility.  The City of Dallas has requested that a previously eliminated alternative be re-evaluated.  The AA will also include development of a streetcar system plan that would connect to the current light rail system.

“I am happy to see Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) receive this funding from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA),” said Congresswoman Johnson. “Dallas is a rapidly growing area and this funding will help the city better determine which additional light rail lines and streetcar plans will best serve our citizens.”

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U.S. Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson is Ranking Member of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. She is also the highest-ranking Texan on the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure. She represents the 30th Congressional District of Texas that includes Downtown Dallas, Fair Park, Oak Lawn, Turtle Creek, Old East Dallas, Pleasant Grove, & South Oak Cliff; all of Balch Springs, DeSoto, Hutchins, Lancaster & Wilmer and parts of Cedar Hill, Duncanville, Ferris, Glenn Heights and Ovilla.