Secretary Ray LaHood
Remarks Prepared for Delivery
State of Good Repair and Bus Livability Grants
National Press Call
Monday July 23, 2012

 

Good morning. Thank you for joining the call.

Today, we’re excited to announce yet another step the Department is taking to give Americans more transportation options.

For the third year in a row, DOT is providing funds to help transit agencies around the country build, repair, and modernize their transit systems.

Through the Federal Transit Administration’s State of Good Repair and Bus Livability programs, we’re providing a total of $787 million dollars to support 255 projects across the country.

These are projects that will make a real difference in people’s lives. We’re replacing old buses with new technology that will reduce fuel and maintenance costs. And we’re improving access to transportation by renovating outdated facilities.

Each of these grants makes transit a safer, more convenient and more efficient travel option.

On top of that, we’re creating jobs. We’re putting people back to work modernizing our nation’s public transit systems.

Investing in transit—the infrastructure that we depend on to go to work, school, the grocery store, and the doctor’s office—is a win-win situation for everyone.

In the past, we’ve see unmistakable proof that transit transforms communities, revives aging downtowns, promotes economic growth and improves the quality of life for hard-working families.

Most importantly, these grants continue our mission of making transportation in America as safe as it can be. Our goal is to ensure passengers are safe when they board a bus—whether it’s in Portland, Maine or East Lansing, Michigan.

These grants build on the safety initiatives included in the transportation bill signed by President Obama a few weeks ago.

The transportation bill creates good-paying jobs and it provides $21 billion for improving transit systems across the country. 

And for the first time, it gives FTA oversight over transit safety—a long overdue step that will provide Americans with confidence that the subways, streetcars, buses, and light rail systems they ride every day are the safest in the world.

Again, these grants make a real difference. We’re putting people back to work building, repairing, and modernizing transit systems across the country.

And we’re giving hard-working Americans a safe and affordable transportation option.

With that, I would like to hand it over to FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff.  He’s going to provide more details on the transit projects we’re funding through this program.