[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 43 (Friday, March 4, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12217-12219]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-4873]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Exempt Discretionary Program Grants (Section 5309) for Urban 
Circulator Systems

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), DOT.

[[Page 12218]]


ACTION: Urban Circulator Systems Announcement of Project Selections.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Federal Transit 
Administration (FTA) announces the selection of projects funded with 
unallocated Section 5309 discretionary program funds for the Urban 
Circulator program in support of DOT's Livability Initiative, which was 
announced in the Urban Circulator Systems Program notice of funding 
availability on December 8, 2009. The Urban Circulator program makes 
funds available to assist State and local governmental authorities in 
constructing new fixed guideway and corridor-based bus capital projects 
including the acquisition of real property, the initial acquisition of 
rolling stock for the systems, the acquisition of rights-of-way, and 
relocation. Through the Urban Circulator Program grants, FTA will 
invest in five projects that provide a transportation option that 
connects urban destinations and fosters the redevelopment of urban 
spaces into walkable mixed use, high density environments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Successful applicants should contact 
the appropriate FTA Regional office (Appendix A) for specific 
information regarding applying for the funds. For general program 
information on the Urban Circulator program, contact Sherry Riklin, 
Office of Planning and Environment, at (202) 366-2053, e-mail: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A total of $130,000,000 was available for 
FTA's Urban Circulator Systems Program. A total of 65 applicants 
requested $1.1 billion, resulting in high competition for funds. 
Project proposals were evaluated based on the criteria detailed in the 
December 8, 2009, Notice of Funding Availability. The projects selected 
and shown in Table 1 will provide mobility choices, improve economic 
competitiveness, support existing communities, create partnerships and 
enhance the value of communities and neighborhoods.
    Grantees selected for competitive discretionary funding should work 
with their FTA regional office to secure FTA approval to advance the 
project through project development. FTA's approval to advance the 
Urban Circulator projects through project development and grant award 
is based on compliance with planning, environmental, and project 
management requirements which apply to all Federal-aid transit 
projects, including inclusion of the project in a financially 
constrained metropolitan long-range transportation plan and 
metropolitan/state transportation improvement program (TIP/STIP) and 
completion of the appropriate environmental review required by the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Funds will be obligated to 
selected projects after a determination by FTA that the grantee has the 
technical, legal, and financial capacity to construct the proposed 
project consistent with Federal Transit Law at 49 U.S.C. Chapter 53. 
The grantee must comply with all applicable Federal statutes, 
regulations, executive orders, FTA circulars, and other Federal 
administrative requirements in carrying out the project supported by 
the FTA grant. A discretionary project identification number has been 
assigned to each project for tracking purposes and must be used in the 
TEAM application.
    These grants will be administered and managed by the FTA regional 
offices. With the issuance of this Federal Register notice, FTA extends 
pre-award authority for acquisition of real property, utility 
relocation, demolition, construction, equipment, construction 
materials, and procurement of vehicles upon completion of the NEPA 
process. The NEPA process is complete when FTA issues an environmental 
Record of Decision (ROD), a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI), 
or makes a Categorical Exclusion (CE) determination. Selectees are 
encouraged to advance the project expeditiously with a goal of having 
the funds obligated within eighteen months of this announcement and no 
later than September 30, 2012, when these allocated funds will lapse. A 
discretionary project identification number has been assigned to each 
project for tracking purposes and must be used in the TEAM application. 
Pre-award authority is granted as of July 8, 2010.
    Post-award reporting requirements include submission of the 
Financial Federal Report and Milestone reports in TEAM as appropriate 
(see FTA.C.5010.1D). Recipients of exempt discretionary grants for 
urban circulators shall be required to submit information that 
describes the impact of the urban circulator on transit ridership and 
economic development after two years of operation.

    Issued in Washington, DC, this 28th day of February, 2011.
Peter Rogoff,
Administrator.

                                  Table I--Urban Circulator Project Selections
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                                                                                                      Amount
                Project/sponsor                                     Project ID                       allocated
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Chicago Central Area, Transitway: E-W Corridor   D2010-URBC-06001                                    $24,650,000
 BRT (Urban Circulator), Chicago Department of
 Transportation, Chicago Illinois.
St. Louis Loop Trolley Project (Urban            D2010-URBC-07001                                     24,990,000
 Circulator), City of St. Louis, Missouri.
Charlotte Streetcar Starter Project (Urban       D2010-URBC-07002                                     24,990,000
 Circulator), City of Charlotte, North Carolina.
Cincinnati Streetcar Project (Urban              D2010-URBC-07003                                     24,990,000
 Circulator), City of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Olive/St. Paul Street Loop (Urban Circulator),   D2010-URBC-03001 ($2,458,956)                         4,900,000
 Dallas Area Rapid Transit Authority (DART),     D2010-URBC-05001 ($2,441,044)
 Dallas Texas.
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    Total......................................  ...............................................     104,520,000
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Appendix A

[[Page 12219]]



                  FTA Regional and Metropolitan Offices
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Mary Beth Mello, Regional            Robert C. Patrick, Regional
 Administrator, Region 1--Boston,     Administrator, Region 6--Ft.
 Kendall Square, 55 Broadway, Suite   Worth, 819 Taylor Street, Room
 920, Cambridge, MA 02142-1093,       8A36, Ft. Worth, TX 76102, Tel.
 Tel. 617-494-2055.                   817-978-0550.
States served: Connecticut, Maine,   States served: Arkansas, Louisiana,
 Massachusetts, New Hampshire,        Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas.
 Rhode Island, and Vermont.
Brigid Hynes-Cherin, Regional        Mokhtee Ahmad, Regional
 Administrator, Region 2--New York,   Administrator, Region 7--Kansas
 One Bowling Green, Room 429, New     City, MO, 901 Locust Street, Room
 York, NY 10004-1415, Tel. 212-668-   404, Kansas City, MO 64106, Tel.
 2170.                                816-329-3920.
States served: New Jersey, New York  States served: Iowa, Kansas,
                                      Missouri, and Nebraska.
New York Metropolitan Office,
 Region 2--New York, One Bowling
 Green, Room 428, New York, NY
 10004-1415, Tel. 212-668-2202.
Letitia Thompson, Regional           Terry Rosapep, Regional
 Administrator, Region 3--            Administrator, Region 8--Denver,
 Philadelphia, 1760 Market Street,    12300 West Dakota Ave., Suite 310,
 Suite 500, Philadelphia, PA 19103-   Lakewood, CO 80228-2583, Tel. 720-
 4124, Tel. 215-656-7100.             963-3300.
States served: Delaware, Maryland,   States served: Colorado, Montana,
 Pennsylvania, Virginia, West         North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah,
 Virginia, and District of            and, Wyoming.
 Columbia.
Philadelphia Metropolitan Office,
 Region 3--Philadelphia, 1760
 Market Street, Suite 500,
 Philadelphia, PA 19103-4124, Tel.
 215-656-7070.
Washington, D.C. Metropolitan
 Office, 1990 K Street, NW., Room
 510, Washington, DC 20006, Tel.
 202-219-3562.
Yvette Taylor, Regional              Leslie T. Rogers, Regional
 Administrator, Region 4--Atlanta,    Administrator, Region 9--San
 230 Peachtree Street, NW Suite       Francisco, 201 Mission Street,
 800, Atlanta, GA 30303, Tel. 404-    Room 1650, San Francisco, CA 94105-
 865-5600.                            1926, Tel. 415-744-3133.
States served: Alabama, Florida,     States served: American Samoa,
 Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi,      Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii,
 North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South   Nevada, and the Northern Mariana,
 Carolina, Tennessee, and the         Islands.
 Virgin Islands.
                                     Los Angeles Metropolitan Office,
                                      Region 9--Los Angeles, 888 S.
                                      Figueroa Street, Suite 1850, Los
                                      Angeles, CA 90017-1850, Tel. 213-
                                      202-3952.
Marisol Simon, Regional              Rick Krochalis, Regional
 Administrator, Region 5--Chicago,    Administrator, Region 10--Seattle,
 200 West Adams Street, Suite 320,    Jackson Federal Building, 915
 Chicago, IL 60606, Tel. 312-353-     Second Avenue, Suite 3142,
 2789.                                Seattle, WA 98174-1002, Tel. 206-
                                      220-7954.
States served: Illinois, Indiana,    States served: Alaska, Idaho,
 Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and       Oregon, and Washington.
 Wisconsin.
Chicago Metropolitan Office, Region
 5--Chicago, 200 West Adams Street,
 Suite 320, Chicago, IL 60606, Tel.
 312-353-2789.
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[FR Doc. 2011-4873 Filed 3-3-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-57-P