Earlier this week U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced a $54.5 million funding agreement with the City of Fort Collins, CO for a new MAX Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line expected to reduce commuting times and traffic congestion and spur economic development in the heart of the Mason Corridor.
The Mason Corridor is a five-mile byway located near the heart of Fort Collins. It combines the MAX BRT corridor with a bicycle and pedestrian trail. Nearly two-thirds of area jobs are located within a half-mile of the corridor, which includes Colorado State University and its veterinary teaching hospital, the federal Natural Resource Research Laboratory Headquarters, and local government offices.
In addition to the agreement signed today, the Federal Transit Administration is also making almost $3.9 million available for the project through its Bus and Bus Facilities grant program. These funds supplement about $11 million awarded in FY2010 for project planning and related work, bringing the total federal commitment to about $69.4 million, or roughly 80 percent of the total project. The City of Fort Collins, the Colorado Department of Transportation, Colorado State University, and the Downtown Development Authority are contributing the remaining funds toward the $87 million BRT project.