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The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) recently awarded $350 million in grants to help improve transit service throughout the state.

The money will be used to help fund about 80 projects designed to upgrade transit service, modernize stations, and purchase or rehabilitate equipment. The grants are being funded through Proposition 1B, a transportation bond measure approved by California voters in 2006. The bonds are expected to generate $3.6 billion over a 10-year period.

The grants include:
• $69.5 million to the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System to purchase 29 light-rail vehicles;
• $48 million to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency for the Central Subway project, which will extend the T Third Line 1.7 miles from the 4th Street Caltrain Station to Chinatown;
• $27.7 million to Bay Area Rapid Transit for the eBART project, which will extend the BART system 10 miles to Antioch;
•  $21.5 million to the San Diego Association of Governments to purchase light-trail vehicles for the San Diego Trolley Blue Line;
• $12.3 million to the Southern California Regional Rail Authority to rehabilitate Metrolink equipment and facilities; and
• $9.3 million to the Sacramento Regional Transit District to refurbish light-rail vehicles.

To date, Caltrans has awarded $1.7 billion in Proposition 1B funds, which have been used to help advance or complete more than 700 transit projects.