Areas of Persistent Poverty Program FY2021 Selected Projects
| State | Project Sponsor | Project Description | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| AK | Municipality of Anchorage | The city of Anchorage will receive funding to improve diversity in a low-income, minority-populated neighborhood in the northeast part of the city. This project, which will be part of mixed-use development with a focus on transit, will help develop ways Anchorage can relocate its Muldoon Transit Hub to an off-street location. This would streamline bus operations, improve safety for pedestrians, and simplify transfers. | $450,000 |
| AL | Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham | The Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham in Alabama will receive funding to study three transit areas and develop plans to improve transportation options and land use, particularly to connect people living in areas of persistent poverty to the city’s bus rapid-transit system. The study will assess the potential for transit-oriented development, accessibility improvements, and the enhancement of bus stops, as well as how to better use blighted, vacant, and underused properties. | $495,000 |
| AR | City of Pine Bluff Transit | The city of Pine Bluff Transit will receive funding to study ways to improve public transportation by improving efficiency and ensuring their system meets the needs of individuals who lack access to employment, public services, education, and healthcare facilities. | $180,000 |
| AR | White River Health System, Inc. | The White River Health System will receive funding to create a low-cost transit network that will improve access to jobs, healthcare, and education for rural communities in north-central Arkansas. The White River Health System will partner with a network of stakeholders to increase mobility for people to see their doctors and get to their jobs, reducing absenteeism/preventable hospitalizations and making the communities healthier and more secure as a whole. | $187,650 |
| AZ | White Mountain Apache Tribe | The White Mountain Apache Tribe will receive funding for a study that will determine the best location for a new bus transfer station for its Fort Apache Connection Transit system. The new station will reduce the distance buses must travel each day from the Tribe's transit headquarters, lowering fuel and maintenance costs and improving mobility for residents in 11 communities on the White Mountain Apache Indian Reservation. | $112,500 |
| CA | Anaheim Transportation Network (ATN) | The Anaheim Transportation Network and the City of Anaheim will receive funding to conduct a study that will focus on areas of persistent poverty to understand mobility and access challenges faced by residents in those communities. The study will also identify ways to increase equity and reduce barriers to opportunity by enhancing the safety of passengers on public transportation, minimizing reliance on cars, reducing greenhouse-gas emissions, and expanding the use of innovative, zero-emission transit buses. | $305,120 |
| CA | Eastern Contra Costa Transit Authority | The Eastern Contra Costa Transit Authority will receive funding to complete an integrated transit plan that will recommend ways to streamline coordination between county transit systems and independent mobility providers. The plan will be designed to improve transit technology, fare integration, fleet modernization/electrification, and innovative first- and last-mile options. | $100,000 |
| CA | Tulare County Regional Transit Agency (TCRTA) - AoPP-2021-2123 | The Tulare County Regional Transit Agency will receive funding to develop a framework for a regional, electric, on-demand transportation service. This framework will lead to reductions in greenhouse gases and improved access to healthcare and jobs for 51 high-poverty areas. The framework will also include a plan to expand its regional call center and explore a next-generation fare system and zero-emission buses. | $315,000 |
| CO | City of Pueblo | The City of Pueblo will receive funding to develop a transit study that will include ridership estimates for a modernized system and the viability of an hourly commuter shuttle to the Pueblo Airport Industrial Complex. The commuter shuttle would serve as an efficient form of transportation for economically disadvantaged individuals and provide easy access to an area with numerous employment opportunities. The City of Pueblo currently operates its fixed-route service via a single downtown transfer center. | $180,000 |
| CT | Greater Hartford Transit District | The Greater Hartford Transit District will receive funding to develop a plan for a zero-emission mobility system that will fill gaps in the transit network and increase transit access for Hartford residents. The district will partner with community organizations to evaluate existing and potential mobility hubs that would improve transportation options, such as e-bikes, electric carshares, and passenger services. | $250,000 |
| DE | Delaware Transit Corporation (DTC) | The Delaware Transit Corporation will receive funding for its Connecting Route 9 Corridor Communities project, which will improve transportation in the Delaware State Route 9 corridor. Many people in this area are members of minority groups and live below the poverty line and/or do not have cars. With community outreach and technical analyses, DTC will plan improvements to enhance bus service, microtransit and the pedestrian environment to provide access to jobs, schools, healthcare and other services. | $630,000 |
| FL | Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority | The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) will receive funding to develop a study that will evaluate ways to enhance the transportation system in a minority and low-income community in south St. Petersburg. PSTA will partner with the City of St. Petersburg and the Florida Department of Transportation to conduct this study and build sustainable communities through equitable infrastructure investments. | $360,000 |
| GA | Chatham Area Transit | Chatham Area Transit (CAT), which serves the area in and around Savannah, Georgia, will receive funding to study the potential to connect emerging job centers and areas that have high levels of racial inequity or persistent poverty. The project will reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, connect low-income communities to more than 2,000 new job opportunities, and serve 3 job centers that are not on existing CAT transit routes. | $400,000 |
| GA | Southern Georgia Regional Commission | The Southern Georgia Regional Commission will receive funding to develop a regional transit development plan for multi-county transit service. The plan will assess a recently established, multi-county, rural/regional transit service and focus on improving mobility and access to jobs, healthcare, and educational opportunities. | $180,000 |
| HI | State of Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation on Behalf of County of Hawaiʻi Mass Transit Agency | The Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation will receive funding to plan for a transit hub in downtown Pahoa. The plan will support a transportation hub and a fixed-route transit system, part of its plan to better connect people to jobs and opportunities. | $270,000 |
| IL | Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) | The Chicago Transit Authority will receive funding to develop an engagement plan for communities that will be served by the planned 5.6-mile Red Line rail extension. The Red Line extension will reach some of Chicago’s most underserved communities, including Roseland, Washington Heights, West Pullman, and Riverdale, all of which have experienced decades of neglect and remain disconnected from opportunities in other parts of the city. The project will allow CTA to focus engagement efforts on the Far South Side by engaging with residents and other advocates to maximize the impact of increased transit access and the positive effect it can have on community revitalization efforts. | $450,000 |
| IN | Indianapolis Public Transportation Corporation | IndyGo will receive funding to plan and design as many as 100 new, accessible bus stops in neighborhoods where people experience persistent poverty. Increasing the accessibility of bus stops in underserved areas will improve access to jobs, schools, healthcare, and other services,creating community connectivity and addressing generational poverty. | $670,000 |
| KY | Transit Authority of River City (TARC) | The Transit Authority of River City (TARC) will receive funding to develop a plan to facilitate access to employment, education, and healthcare for individuals who live in areas of persistent poverty in and around Louisville. The project will help TARC continue to implement transportation opportunities that enhance the social, economic, and environmental wellbeing of the greater Louisville community. | $450,000 |
| LA | Capital Area Transit System | The Capital Area Transit System will receive funding for a study that will rely on community outreach in 41 areas of persistent poverty to identify and improve transit. The study will evaluate how to provide better access to jobs, schools, healthcare, and other services as well as transit-oriented development that would lead to more affordable housing served by high-quality transit. | $670,000 |
| MA | Pioneer Valley Transit Authority | The Pioneer Valley Transit Authority will receive funding for its Connected Communities Through Equitable Transit project, which will improve the time and cost of transit to and from areas of persistent poverty in the Pioneer Valley. The study will use spatial interaction models and feedback from equity-focused community outreach to explore racial and economic disparities. | $150,000 |
| MD | Prince George's County Department of Public Works | The Prince George's County Department of Public Works will receive funding to study ways to improve traffic safety, stormwater management, and streetscapes to discourage crime and improve transit access. The study will also assess how to extend its bus rapid transit corridor to Prince George's County Community College. These improvements will connect people who live in an area that experiences persistent poverty to jobs, schools, healthcare, and other services and improve their health by reducing greenhouse-gas emissions. | $600,000 |
| ME | Eastern Maine Development Corporation | The Eastern Maine Development Corporation (EMDC) will receive funding to develop two planning studies in Piscataquis and Penobscot counties that will assess a variety of transportation options, including new transit routes, telecommuting, and innovative ways to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. The EMDC will partner with regional stakeholders to complete these studies, which will help provide reliable transportation for individuals in rural communities. | $445,290 |
| MI | Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation | The Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation will receive funding to support the design and engineering of a mobility hub in downtown Pontiac. More than 30 percent of Pontiac’s residents live in poverty and need access to transit to get to work, shops, schools, and medical appointments. The hub will include strategies to improve access to transit, increase the number and type of transit services available, and add transit amenities that are not currently available. | $180,000 |
| MN | Duluth Transit Authority | The Duluth Transit Authority (DTA) will receive funding to develop a feasibility study for bus rapid transit in two high-ridership corridors and create community-driven recommendations to improve access. This network redesign sets the framework for two high-frequency bus lines that will become the backbone of the DTA's fixed-route service, part of the agency's Better Bus Blueprint vision for the future. | $315,000 |
| MO | Kansas City Area Transportation Authority | The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority will receive funding to develop innovative funding and planning models to continue zero-fare service. The study team will assess the economic and health impacts of the zero-fare transit policy in Kansas City and develop a model to extend service to areas of persistent poverty and ensure sustainability of local funds. | $500,000 |
| MP | Commonwealth Office of Transit Authority (COTA) | The Commonwealth Office of Transit Authority will receive funding to develop a sustainable transportation master plan and conduct an independent ferry feasibility study for the Northern Mariana Islands. The 20-year Sustainable Transportation Master Plan will create multi-modal intra- and inter-island transportation options. | $800,000 |
| MS | Claiborne County Human Resource Agency (CCHRA) | The Claiborne County Human Resource Agency will receive funding to develop a two-part pilot project to study the use of a transportation portal to manage rides with on-demand services. This study will also assess ways to increase ridership through an artificial-intelligence dispatching system. | $650,462 |
| NC | City of Asheville, North Carolina | The city of Asheville will receive funding to support comprehensive planning for the Asheville Rides Transit (ART) project, which will consist of a new, larger downtown transit center for the ART system, on-site affordable housing, and other compatible uses. | $328,140 |
| NE | The Transit Authority of the City of Omaha d/b/a/ Metro | The Transit Authority of the City of Omaha will receive funding to promote connections along a 7.9-mile corridor from the North Omaha Transit Center to the Metropolitan Community College South Transit Center. The plan will identify transit enhancements, including upgrades to the roadway, station amenities and technologies aimed at delivering a streamlined travel experience. Residents in Areas of Persistent Poverty along the corridor will more easily connect with resources and opportunities within reasonable commute times. | $560,000 |
| NJ | New Jersey Transit Corporation | NJ TRANSIT will receive funding to conduct a modernization study for Newark Light Rail, which operates in the state’s largest city. The study will investigate options for improving station design, making four stations ADA-compliant and improving the customer experience. Each station is located in an area of persistent poverty. | $519,750 |
| NY | Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority | The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority will receive funding for a plan to improve the Bailey Avenue Bus Rapid Transit battery-electric bus system, much of which serves areas of persistent poverty. The project will reduce travel times, increase bus frequency, enhance transit amenities and address environmental justice and community health by reducing greenhouse-gas emissions. | $650,000 |
| OH | Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) | The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority will receive funding to research barriers to transit access facing people in areas of persistent poverty. The study, which the GCRTA will conduct in partnership with local public agencies and nonprofits, will allow the GCRTA to improve not only transit access, but also economic mobility and quality of life for more than 200,000 individuals. | $585,000 |
| OH | Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA) | The Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA) will receive funding for a multi-modal transit center in Cincinnati’s Walnut Hills neighborhood, which is an area of persistent poverty. The center will improve transit access, route efficiency, and park-and-ride capacity, and include bike, scooter, and potentially electric infrastructure. SORTA will work with the community to integrate the center with adjacent mixed-use, affordable-housing developments and will use the center to promote greater economic development and racial and ethnic equity. | $341,550 |
| PA | Port Authority of Allegheny County | The Port Authority of Allegheny County will receive funding for comprehensive planning for a corridor project that will focus on the East/Central Pittsburgh Connection. The project will link the city’s Strip and Hill Districts and its Carrick, Hazelwood, Oakland, and Overbrook neighborhoods, overcoming geographic barriers and increasing transit efficiency between the city’s southern and eastern neighborhoods. | $594,000 |
| TN | City of Knoxville | Knoxville Area Transit will receive funding to develop a transit map that identifies areas where transit-oriented development could blend with mixed- and low-income development to spur job growth. The map would provide the basis for the city to increase transit use and invest in high-quality transit services that would help reduce poverty and help Knoxville meet climate challenges. | $360,000 |
| TX | Greater Southeast Management District (GSMD) | The Greater Southeast Management District will receive funding to develop transit plans for three corridors in southeast Houston. The plans will include models that help improve safety, increase transit access, and maximize proposed and existing transit assets. | $283,000 |
| TX | North Central Texas Council of Governments | The North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCG) will receive funding to identify innovative, affordable transit solutions and create strategies to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, engaging with nonprofit partners and individuals who live in areas of persistent poverty. The NCTCG's plan will address racial inequities related to access to food, housing, healthcare, and jobs, as well as environmental justice concerns related to air quality—a crucial step for the community with the lowest life expectancy in Texas. | $269,698 |
| UT | Utah Transit Authority | The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) will receive funding to study how to improve its paratransit service, which uses gas-powered vehicles and requires passengers to call 24 hours in advance. The UTA will assess the feasibility of a more dynamic service that would run on zero-emission vehicles, which would improve transit access, be more convenient, enhance service equity and efficiency, and be a positive step toward cleaner air and better health for a vulnerable population. | $385,584 |
| VI | Government of the U.S.V.I. Department of Public Works | The U.S. Virgin Islands will receive funding to conduct a planning study for potential transit improvements in areas of persistent poverty. The plan will help improve transit by identifying where to provide more frequent and expanded service. The study will assess the feasibility of park-and-ride locations, expanded service hours for existing routes, a transit hub, and new routes, which would allow for shorter ride times and more direct access to destinations. | $375,000 |
| WI | City of Madison | The City of Madison will receive funding for a plan for its proposed Green Line bus rapid transit line, which will provide high-quality service to areas of persistent poverty. The expanded system will reduce overcrowding on buses while providing more direct access to jobs, schools, healthcare, services, and other destinations and reduce greenhouse-gas emissions with battery-electric buses. | $670,000 |
Total:
$16,217,744
Last updated: Thursday, September 7, 2023