~ Rehabilitating BRITE Transit’s transportation hub in downtown Staunton~
(STAUNTON): Last week, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced its award of $915,600 in Bus and Bus Facilities Program funding to BRITE Transit, a service of the Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission (CSPDC). BRITE Transit provides bus service to seven localities in the Shenandoah region. The funding will enable the agency to rehabilitate its transit hub in Staunton, Virginia. CSPDC is providing a $45,600 local match accompanied by a $177,900 state match from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT).
“So many BRITE Transit riders pass through this parking lot each day. This grant enables us to create a safe, accessible, multimodal transit hub for them,” stated Bonnie Riedesel, Executive Director of the Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission. “We look forward to our continued partnership with FTA, DRPT, and the City of Staunton to create a transit asset and public space that will benefit the BRITE System for years to come.”
The FTA Bus and Facilities grant program makes federal resources available to states and their direct recipients to replace or restore buses and associated bus facilities including innovation enhancements supporting low or no emission vehicles.
“This project is a prime example of how transit agencies can partner with DRPT to develop high-quality grant applications for discretionary federal funding. By leveraging a combination of local, state, and federal funding, agencies like CSPDC are helping improve, innovate, and modernize transit in Virginia,” stated Jennifer DeBruhl, Acting Director of the Department of Rail and Public Transportation. “As Virginians return to the office, we urge them to Rediscover Your Ride by choosing public transportation.”
The CSPDC transit hub rehabilitation project will redefine the surface parking lot with dedicated space for bus parking, an ADA-accessible passenger boarding and alighting platform, add vehicular parking for “kiss and ride” transit riders, and include passenger facilities like shelters, benches, and safety lighting. The project will also add an electrical conduit for electric vehicle charging stations. The project is anticipated to be completed over the next two years.
“This is wonderful news. The upgrades to the Lewis Street Hub are definitely needed. It will make it much easier to catch the bus and make transfers,” Becky Messer, BRITE passenger and BRITE Technical Advisory Committee member.