Special to the
Opelika Observer
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced a $2.2 million grant award to the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, signed by President Donald J. Trump on March 27, 2020.
ALDOT will use the grant funds for planning and operating assistance for its buses and support equipment and facilities needed during the COVID-19 public health emergency.
See FTA’s apportionment tables for the totals apportioned to each area at transit.dot.gov/cares-act-apportionments. (This funding is based on the agency’s current request and may not represent the full amount the agency will receive.)
“This historic $25 billion in grant funding will ensure our nation’s public transportation systems can continue to provide services to the millions of Americans who continue to depend on them,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao.
“We know many of our nation’s public transportation systems are facing extraordinary challenges and these funds will go a long way to assisting our transit industry partners in battling COVID-19,” said FTA Acting Administrator K. Jane Williams. “These federal funds will support operating assistance to transit agencies of all sizes providing essential travel and supporting transit workers across the country who are unable to work because of the public health emergency.”
In addition to the CARES Act funding, FTA has issued a Safety Advisory with recommended actions for transit agencies to reduce the risk of Coronavirus (COVID-19) among transit employees and passengers. Transit agencies should follow the current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommendations for the spread of COVID-19, which include face coverings, social distancing, frequent hand washing, facility and vehicle cleaning and other measures to the maximum extent practicable.