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On Friday, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) received a $1.4 million Federal Railroad Administration grant for preliminary engineering and environmental work associated with replacing a station in Rochester, N.Y.

The allocation supplements a previous grant received by NYSDOT in November 2010 for the station’s engineering and design work. The most recent grant will help fund preliminary engineering and environmental work for the station’s replacement and for necessary Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant improvements in the existing station.

The Rochester Intermodal Transportation Center will improve access to Amtrak’s Empire Corridor, Maple Leaf and Lake Shore Limited routes, and offer connections to other transportation modes, including buses and taxis, according to the USDOT. The NYSDOT will provide $600,000 for preliminary work.

The USDOT also announced that the Federal Transit Administration has selected six transit and government agencies to participate in a Transit Asset Management pilot program: the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, Regional Transportation Authority, Utah Transit Authority, Valley Regional Transit, and Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation.

The agencies will share $4 million to help them “take a more strategic and systematic approach to determining and anticipating when equipment needs maintenance or repairs, or when it needs to be replaced,” USDOT officials said in a news brief item posted on the department’s website.

The program is designed to encourage transit agencies to find new, cost-effective ways to manage and maintain the condition of their systems — including tracks, stations and electrical equipment — to bolster safety and boost reliability, they said.