MST gets $22M federal grant for SURF! Busway
Monterey-Salinas Transit will receive $22.17 million in federal funding to go toward construction of its bus rapid transit project between the cities of Marina and Sand City, it was announced Monday.
The funding comes from the Federal Transit Administration Capital Investment Grants Program for construction of the SURF! Busway and Rapid Transit project and is critical to ensuring full funding for this MST project. The FTA discretionary grant program funds transit capital investments including heavy rail, commuter rail, light rail, streetcars and bus rapid transit, such as the SURF! Busway project. The funding was made possible through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Monterey-Salinas Transit (MST) proposes to implement bus rapid transit between the cities of Marina, Sand City, Seaside, Monterey and Salinas. The project includes a six-mile dedicated busway along a former rail right-of-way parallel to Highway 1 with bicycle and pedestrian improvements, and a transit signal prioritization system along some segments. The SURF! Busway will run between Marina and Sand City with the northern terminus located at MST’s Marina Transit Exchange at Reservation and De Forest roads and the southern terminus located at Contra Costa Street in Sand City.
The SURF! Busway and Rapid Transit project stations will be built along publicly-owned rail line and within MST property. The rail line linked Monterey and San Francisco with passenger service from 1880 to 1971. In 2003, the Transportation Agency for Monterey County purchased the unused line from the Union Pacific for $9.3 million to preserve it as a transportation corridor for mass transportation purposes only with a grant from State Proposition 116 funds.
“MST Board of Directors is committed to connecting communities, creating opportunity and being kind to our planet, and this project meets all of those objectives,” said MST General Manager and CEO Carl Sedoryk in a press release. “For a little over five years, MST staff, our team of consultants, federal, state and local elected officials, advocates and stakeholders have worked tirelessly to achieve this outcome which is an important milestone for us to finally start construction later this year.”
With the federal funding secured, and the remaining $25 million in state funding expected to be allocated in the coming months, the SURF! project is fully funded and is expected to break ground this spring, according to MST.
“Working families and essential workers in Monterey County spend too much time, money and opportunities stuck in traffic,” said Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Carmel Valley, in a release. “Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, this federal investment in the SURF! Busway and Rapid Transit project will deliver sustainable, efficient and reliable transportation solutions for our home and for our families during their commutes. I am proud to have worked alongside my colleagues at every level of government to secure this critical funding for Monterey-Salinas Transit, protect our environment and support economic growth throughout the Central Coast.”
Bus service on the bus-only lane will allow passengers using Salinas-Monterey Line 20, MST’s second-most used transit line, and all other bus service traveling between Salinas, Marina, Seaside, Sand City and Monterey, to quickly travel past Highway 1 traffic. Riders traveling by bus on the new busway and other transit services that connect to Line 20 will have better access to Cal State Monterey Bay, the VA/DoD clinic, beach access to Fort Ord Dunes State Park, the Dunes on Monterey Bay development and military neighborhoods.
“Affordable mass transit options allow our local and regional economies to thrive – ensuring people can safely access jobs, schools, stores and more,” said Rep. Lofgren in a release. “This federal funding supporting MST’s Bus and Bus Rapid Transit project will help improve access to rapid transit, reduce congestion on our roads, and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. It’s good news all around, and I look forward to seeing the positive impact that this federal investment will have on our communities and environment.”