April 21, 2020 3:30 a.m.
Congressman Peter DeFazio has announced that he has secured $37 million in transit funding for southwest Oregon in the CARES Act.
DeFazio said “reliable transit systems are more critical than ever before”. He said the funds will keep rural communities transit systems open and accessible, allowing essential workers to commute to work and preserving access to healthcare. DeFazio’s release said the one-two punch of reduced ridership and declining tax revenues resulting from social distancing has decimated transit budgets nationwide. It said the funding will allow vital services to remain open and protect the wages of transit workers who are on the front lines of the epidemic.
The majority of funding will go to the Lane Transit District, the City of Albany and the City of Corvallis to be used for operating expenses. The remainder will go to smaller cities and rural areas, with additional resources to the Oregon Department of Transportation for communities to apply for grant funding as needed.
The funding is part of $25 billion for transit systems nationwide that DeFazio, in his role as Chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, worked to include in the CARES Act, according to the release.
The Douglas County Transportation District will receive just over $487,000.
A breakdown of the funding is posted here:
*Benton County – $126,656
*City of Albany – $2,815,285
*City of Corvallis – $7,354,971
*City of Cottage Grove – $123,965
*City of Lebanon – $95,209
*City of Sweet Home – $104,500
*Coos County Area Transit Service – $214,766
*Curry County – $194,572
*Douglas County Transportation District – $487,333
*Lane Transit District – $25,641,458
*Linn County – $144,210