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Last week, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) signed Full Funding Grant Agreements (FFGA) for two transit-rail projects.

On Jan. 15, the FTA issued an $813 million FFGA for Sound Transit's University Link extension. The $1.9 billion project calls for extending the Central Link light-rail line — which is scheduled to open later this year — by 3.1 miles. The alignment will be entirely underground, running from downtown Seattle to Capitol Hill, and continuing north to the University of Washington campus. University Link is expected to be complete in 2017.

The next day, FTA officials signed a $308 million FFGA for the Regional Transportation District of Denver's (RTD) West Corridor, a 12.1-mile light-rail line between Denver Union Station and the Jefferson County Government Center in Golden, Colo. RTD began preliminary construction on the line in mid-2008; now, the agency can begin major construction. Scheduled to open in 2013, the West Corridor is part of RTD's FasTracks program, which calls for building six new rail lines, extending three existing lines and redeveloping Denver Union Station.