Counties Transit Improvement Board Supports Gateway Corridor with Two Grants

The Counties Transit Improvement Board acted Nov. 19 on its annual grant awards, signaling its continued commitment to advancing transit projects across the region. Two grants totaling $1.32 million will go to the Gateway Corridor, a 12-mile proposed bus rapid transit line between downtown Saint Paul and Woodbury, along Interstate 94 and Hudson Road.

Grants were awarded to transit projects in Washington, Ramsey, Hennepin, Dakota and Anoka counties, providing regional balance, according to Washington County Commissioner Lisa Weik, chair of the Gateway Corridor Commission.

“Regional equity is important for the success of our growing transit system,” said Commissioner Weik. “I commend the Counties Transit Improvement Board for their commitment to the entire region’s prosperity.”

Gateway’s Preliminary Engineering and the Final Environmental Impact Statement phases of the Federal Transit Administration’s Project Development process will be supported by a $600,000 grant from the Counties Transit Improvement Board.

Another $720,000 grant will help bridge the period between the end of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement and the start of the Project Development process. Work activities will include preparation for Project Development, station area planning and public engagement. Part of the $720,000 will be used to match a requested $1 million federal grant for transit-oriented development, if the grant is awarded.

Gateway Corridor’s neighbor, the Red Rock Corridor, also received a $360,000 grant to work on its implementation plan. A total of 14 grants for capital and operating investments were awarded Nov. 19 totaling $141 million.  The primary funding source for the grants is a quarter cent transit sales tax collected in member counties, Anoka, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, and Washington.

With the two new grants to be used in 2015, the Counties Transit Improvement Board has invested more than $4 million to advance the Gateway Corridor proposal. In addition, the board has made a commitment to fund 35 percent of the capital cost if the project gets final approval.

About the Gateway Corridor rapid transit project

Gateway is a proposed bus rapid transit line that would run 12 miles in its own lane between the Union Depot in downtown Saint Paul and Woodbury next to Interstate 94 and Hudson Road. All-day transit service would stop at 12 stations and include connections to the growing regional transit system. The system could open for service by 2022 and will provide a focal point for new economic development opportunities as the region grows. The work is led by the Gateway Corridor Commission, which is comprised of local elected officials, business and community leaders. More information is available at www.theGatewayCorridor.com.