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On Friday, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced a new round of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding for 191 transit projects in 42 states and Puerto Rico.

The grants enabled the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to meet its goal of awarding all ARRA transit formula dollars by March 5, according to the USDOT. Since the act was signed into law in February 2009, the FTA has awarded 881 grants totaling $7.5 billion.

Transit-rail grants include:
• $54.1 million to Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority for operating assistance and state-of-good-repair work to its rapid-transit network, and $13.9 million to improve Ashmont Station;
• $52 million to New Jersey Transit to renovate track, improve signal systems and complete other work;
• $18.2 million to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency to rebuild light-rail vehicles and perform preventative maintenance;
• $17.1 million to the Maryland Transit Administration to upgrade light-rail yard switches, replace or overhaul 24 light-rail substation circuit breakers and other work, and $2.8 million to perform additional work on MARC’s public-address system;
• $17 million to Bay Area Rapid Transit for rail-car and station equipment improvements;
• $12.4 million to the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority to renovate Malvern Station;
• $10.4 million to the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority to rehabilitate track and stations;
• $4.7 million to the Southern California Regional Rail Authority to rehabilitate track, install positive train control and complete other work;
• $4.4 million to the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority to repair and rehabilitate five stations; and
• $4.2 million to the Tri-County Metropolitan Transit District of Oregon to build the Willow Creek light-rail line, install wayside horns on its commuter-rail line and complete other work.

Also on Friday, Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) and other congressmen announced the USDOT will allocate more than $274 million in ARRA funds for MTA Long Island Rail Road’s (LIRR) East Side Access project and MTA New York City Transit’s (NYCT) Second Avenue Subway. LIRR will receive $195.4 million to create a rail link from the 63rd Street Tunnel to Grand Central Terminal and NYCT will receive $78.9 million for the subway, which is designed to ease congestion on its crowded Lexington Avenue line.

In addition, Nadler announced NYCT will receive $156 million in ARRA funds for the Fulton Street Transit Center, which is designed improve connections to six existing lower Manhattan subway stations.