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The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) on Tuesday awarded $25.7 million in Alternative Analysis grants to communities in 16 states for the planning of new or expanded transit systems.

The Alternatives Analysis program is the first milestone in the New Starts capital planning process, the primary source for federally funded transit projects, according to the FTA.  

New Starts has provided $1.5 billion and $1.8 billion annually for major transit construction projects in recent years. An additional $750 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Funds were advanced to New Starts in 2009.

The department reviewed 67 grant applications from 30 states seeking a total of $73 million in funds.

Twenty-three winning proposals were submitted by transit and other public agencies as part of a nationwide competition. Rail-related recipients include:

• District of Columbia Department of Transportation, $1 million for streetcar alignment extensions and vehicle propulsion technology;

• Chicago Transit Authority, $1.6 million for transit improvements in the north-south corridor of its heavy-rail network;

• Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority, $1.98 million for upgrades to the Austin, Texas, commuter-rail line serving the north-central corridor between downtown Austin and Georgetown;

• Dallas Area Rapid Transit, $700,000 for an environmental impact statement for the Dallas central business district and re-evaluation of a new light-rail transit alignment through downtown Dallas;

• Salt Lake City Corp., $470,000 for analysis of a streetcar system in downtown Salt Lake City; and

• Sound Transit, $2 million for deployment of the light-rail transit system in the north corridor, which is currently served by express buses.