Feds Direct $522 Million to Georgia for Transportation Needs

GEORGIA RECEIVES MORE THAN $522 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDS TO ADDRESS IMPACT OF CORONAVIRUS

Funds made available by the Federal Transit Administration will support Georgia’s transit operators with operational expenses

Governor Brian P. Kemp, announced the availability of $522,237,467 in Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds for Georgia’s transit operators which is made available by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The CARES Act was signed into law by President Trump on March 27, 2020.

“I applaud the Trump administration and leaders in Washington, D.C. for securing passage of the CARES Act to provide much-needed relief to states, local jurisdictions, and American families,” said Governor Kemp. “This funding will make a profound impact on our economy in our fight against COVID-19.”

Of the total CARES Act funds made available to Georgia, the FTA has allocated $370.94 million to the Atlanta urbanized area transit operators, $26.58M for other Large Urban Areas such as Augusta, Columbus, Savannah, $75.0 million for Georgia’s rural operators and $49.68 million to the small urban transit operators.  The FTA’s priority for CARES Act funding is to support operational expenses associated with impacts of COVID-19, which includes covering operating costs to maintain service, making up for lost revenue due to the pandemic, purchase of personal protective equipment, and payment of administrative leave of operations personnel.  The Funds are 100% federal and require no local matching funds.

“The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) will be working directly with all of Georgia’s rural transit and small urban transit operators to provide this vital CARES Act funding to them,” said Commissioner Russell McMurry.

This includes providing CARES Act funding to 72 rural counties, three rural municipalities, five regional rural transit providers and seven small urban transit providers that will support 100 percent of their transit operating costs from January 20, 2020 through June 30, 2021.

The Atlanta Region-Transit Link Authority (ATL) officially notified metro Atlanta’s transit operators of their portion of FTA CARES Act funding and informed they could immediately apply to FTA to access the funds. “The CARES Act funding is critical to keeping the Atlanta region’s transit network moving”, stated Chris Tomlinson, ATL Executive Director.  “These funds come at a much needed time and will help to support those transit employees who continue to serve this region on the front lines of the COVID-19 response.” Operators receiving CARES Act funding through the FTA Large Urban Program include: