Congressman Castro Celebrates $268 Million Grant for VIA Funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
WASHINGTON — Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) released the following statement to celebrate a $268 million grant he secured from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to support the VIA Green Line project – the first Advanced Rapid Transit corridor in the region, which is expected to deliver convenient, high-frequency service by late 2027.
“Over the last four years, Democrats in Congress and the White House have invested billions of dollars to build the great infrastructure that San Antonio deserves. This grant – which is one of the largest investments in public transit in South Texas – will make huge strides to reduce traffic and congestion, improve our air quality, and help San Antonians get where they need to go. My office was proud to help VIA make the case for this funding, and I’m excited to see the benefits that the new Advanced Rapid Transit corridor will bring to San Antonio,” said Congressman Joaquin Castro.
“I want to thank Congressman Castro for his steadfast support of VIA Metropolitan Transit. His work was instrumental in finalizing and signing the Capital Investment Grant with the Federal Transit Administration. The VIA Rapid Green Line will revolutionize transit in San Antonio and Bexar County,” said Jeff Arndt, President & CEO VIA Metropolitan Transit.
In 2021, Congressman Castro voted for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to fund major transit projects, including San Antonio’s Green Line project. Over the last several years, he has led several letters of support to the Federal Transit Administration to advocate for additional resources to support VIA’s expansion in the San Antonio area.
As part of his efforts to support public transit investments in San Antonio, Congressman Castro has also led Congressional efforts to secure annual appropriations for the FTA Capital Investment Grants Program, commonly known as New Starts, Small Starts, and Core Capacity, to support the projects under construction or in the CIG pipeline, with a special focus on resources for VIA’s ART North/South corridor and ART East/West corridor. On Wednesday, his office joined leaders from the FTA and VIA for a signing ceremony to formalize the $268 million grant announcement.
The Green Line project is designed to improve transportation options for the nearly 54,000 residents and 108,000 jobs located in the 10.35-mile corridor. The grant represents the largest federal investment in VIA’s history. The project will connect riders from the San Antonio International Airport, through Downtown, and south to the historic Missions area.
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