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<br />Why is FTA Funding <br />Important to <br />Northstar? <br /> <br />Federal funding programs for U.S. transit <br />projects are administered by the Federal <br />Transit Administration (FT A). Because the <br />FT A will provide up to 50 percent of the <br />construction costs of qualifying projects, <br />competition for FT A funds is fierce <br />nationwide. Northstar Commuter Rail is <br />competing against numerous regional <br />transit projects throughout the country for <br />the funding provided by the FTA. <br /> <br />In evaluating <br />which projects to <br />support, the FT A <br />conducts a <br />rigorous review <br />process to assess <br />a project's merits <br />and cost- <br />effectiveness. <br />Transit projects <br />must demonstrate <br />that they will <br />improve the <br />efficiency of a <br />region's <br />transportation system in a cost-effective <br />manner. Northstar has previously met the <br />FT A's criteria, receiving a "Recommended" <br />rating three times. The rating was changed <br />to "Not Recommended" pending the <br />commitment of state funding. <br /> <br /> <br />The action by the 2005 Legislature puts the <br />Northstar project in significantly better <br />standing with the FT A. By securing the <br />$37.5 million in state funding this year, along <br />with the $44 million in local funding already <br />approved, Northstar can now move ahead to <br />compete with other transit projects for <br />federal dollars. Northstar project backers <br />will submit the required information to the <br />FTA to regain a "Recommended" rating. <br />Once this has been achieved, the state will <br />be able to access federal matching dollars <br />covering half of Northstar's construction <br />costs. <br /> <br />For more information about the FT A go to: <br />www.fta.dot.gov <br /> <br />How's the View from the Road? <br /> <br /> <br />According to the Texas <br />Transportation Institute's <br />2005 Urban Mobility <br />Report, the Twin Cities <br />ranks 5th worst in traffic <br />congestion (determined <br />by the cost of delay and <br />excess fuel consumption) <br />among 26 large size <br />metropolitan areas <br />throughout the country. <br />Minnesotans spend an average of 43 hours stuck in <br />rush-hour traffic and consume 37 million gallons of <br />excess fuel. Additionally, the cost of congestion rose <br />from $937 million to $975 million over the last year, or <br />$722 per rush hour driver. <br /> <br />According to the same <br />study, to simply maintain <br />the current levels of <br />congestion, Minnesota will <br />need to build at least 48 <br />miles of new lanes <br />annually (at a cost <br />between $10 million to $40 <br />million per highway mile) and have 83,000 people <br />using public transportation or carpooling. The level of <br />demand on our system underscores the need for <br />projects like Northstar Commuter Rail. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />www.mn-GetOnBoard.com <br />