Connecticut was awarded full funding for the New Britain-Hartford Busway project, which will break ground in the spring of 2012. The funds come from the federal New Starts program which will help the state create a dedicated bus rapid transit system that will connect New Britain and Hartford with stops at 11 stations along a 9.4 mile corridor. Connecticut DOT Commissioner James P. Redeker said the Busway is expected be up and running in 2014, providing some 16,000 passenger trips each weekday and cutting bus travel time between New Britain and Hartford in half.

Total costs for the Busway are $567 million, the state is covering $112 million of that cost and the remainder will come from the federal government. The project is expected to create 4,000 short-term construction jobs and one hundred permanent jobs.

Illinois hybrid bus award will go to the purchase of up to 10 hybrid buses. The buses are anticipated to be delivered in 2013 to the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District, the Greater Peoria Mass Transit District, the City of Galesburg, the Rock Island County Metropolitan Mass Transit District and the River Valley Mass Transit District. The grant is from the Federal Transit Administration’s Clean Fuels Grant Program, a competitive program that encourages the use of clean fuel and innovative propulsion systems in buses.

In addition to the $5 million grant, a smaller grant was awarded to help returning veterans navigate public transit options. IDOT was awarded a $362,000 federal grant to develop a Web site to connect transportation providers with active military and veterans statewide. The new site will be the state’s first online resource center to help active military, veterans and their families address their transportation needs by offering information on transit schedules, dial-a-ride services and ride-sharing programs in their areas.

The project will create a 130-mile track between San Francisco and Los Angeles and has the support of the US Department of Transportation. The original plan had an estimated cost of $43 billion and construction duration through 2020 but the California High-Speed Rail Authority revised the plan due to public criticism and initial feedback.

California is the only state working to build tracks for 220 mile-per-hour trains, receiving $3.5 billion in federal funds for the project. The project is central to the President’s infrastructure plans but the Senate recently approved a bill to cut 99 percent of high-speed rail funds for 2012 as the budget fight drags on.

Federal transportation officials have announced strong support for the project as a means of improving not only passenger rail offerings in the area, but increased logistics capacity. For its part, California will be looking at matching funds, public-private partnerships and bond measures to lock down the funding. So far, voters have approved $9.95 billion in bonds toward the project. The state plans to start selling additional bonds immediately to provide additional project financing.

The talk featured state officials intimately familiar with the state’s transportation history and its unique needs. The event also featured Robert Puentes, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and infrastructure researcher. Puentes is the recent author of a Brookings study which examined transportation infrastructure issues nationwide. He kicked off the Michigan event by providing this perspective. Puentes also noted that over 20,000 Michigan residents live without a vehicle and without access to public transportation.

Chris Kolb, president and CEO of the Michigan Environmental Council, followed Puentes and provided insights on the environmental impact of transportation as well as generational shifts that states should begin to prepare for when considering transportation allocations. Specifically, he noted that younger generations are more interested in owning new technology then getting their own car on the day they turn 16, this shift is also leading young people into cities with greater access to public transportation. Shifts like this in generational attitudes will require greater access to public transportation or ridesharing programs in order to continue to attract young people to municipalities.

Shortly after the talk, news broke that Governor Rick Snyder will also be working ahead of his October announcement to ensure that state light rail projects continue to move forward. Michigan is up for millions in federal funds the Department of Transportation is giving to states to fund projects like light rail but the state has been plagued by turf battles over cost and control of such transit systems in the past leaving new funding and programs vulnerable to the same stalemate.

Those interested in following the Michigan conversation can watch hashtag #mitransvision on Twitter.

Americans face a bleak landscape as they try to recover from the damage inflicted by the recession – home values have gone down, jobs have shifted or disappeared, all while food and gas prices have steadily increased. Americans looking for work are casting a wider net in their job search and those still with jobs are facing higher than ever gas prices as they try to get to work each day. Against this backdrop, Brookings researchers have examined the current state of America’s public transit systems in order to discern how Americans are interacting with them and how they might into the future.

The study pulled in data on ridership, routes and overall commute time to look at how people currently use their public transit systems to get to work and how planners might retool these options to meet future demand more effectively. Report authors also worked with technologists at Microsoft to create a unique interactive mapping tool that allows individuals to understand this data visually and see how their own metropolitan areas are impacted.

Public transit systems in the US have historically been designed to provide affordable options for travel throughout cities. More recently, these systems have grown to include bus networks and light rails that extend into some suburban areas. However, researchers have found that even if Americans live in a large metropolitan area with a robust public transit system, it does not mean that they will be able to use that system to get to work reliably within a reasonable (90 minutes or less) amount of time. Additionally, some large metropolitan transit systems may not offer access into new growth areas where jobs are, leaving job seekers with even fewer affordable ways of finding or getting to work.

These findings are particularly relevant as ridership across transit systems has increased as people look for more budget friendly travel options in light of rising gas prices. According to Puentes, the findings also point to broader problems as transit systems have been unable to catch up to sprawl, and growth trends have lead to leap-frog development that increases commute time and distance while also damaging the urban continuity needed for broad based access to jobs across incomes.

What this all amounts to is, according to Puentes, the need for a serious conversation at the state level that examines how communities intend to support their citizens as they get to work and expand economic development into new areas. In the report, researchers point to new transit systems in the West which are designed to travel larger distances and have routes that more closely track with new growth trends.

Puentes notes that these planning choices have led to the creation of surprisingly effective public transit systems in unlikely places such as Modesto, California. The system there has had historically low ridership but found itself uniquely suited to the recent uptick in its use as gas prices increased and the system provided ready access to places where people currently work. Whereas, commuters on more established transit systems like that in downtown Atlanta, Georgia are faced with increasing difficulty making it out of the center of town and into the fast growing metro area.

According to Puentes, metropolitan areas in the West have experienced new growth and are trying to find innovative and low cost ways to provide transit options – like self-help bond issues, moves which are more difficult and perhaps unlikely with older more established transit systems.

In order to keep the conversation going and make the implications clear, Brookings worked with Microsoft to provide an interactive mapping tool that allows users to examine the findings on a map and understand the impacts visually. According to Joanne Harrell at Microsoft, the partnership will include a road-show of sorts, with Brookings researchers utilizing the mapping tool to present this newly compiled data back to public officials in order to foster policy discussions around finding transit planning solutions that meet the economic needs of cities and states. The tool utilizes Bing maps and runs on Azure in partnership with EastBanc Technologies.

Puentes and the authors of the report are hopeful that the findings and the tool will help to move the conversation toward solutions that are focused on current and future metropolitan trends in order to support job growth nationwide. “People care passionately about their transit systems,” Puentes notes, “the report itself isn’t meant to be a ranking or even a criticism but rather a means of highlighting that we can’t cut transit lifelines if we intend to support people as they find, create or get to jobs.”

The Governor and state officials hope that by maintaining Illinois leadership role in transportation infrastructure the state will be able to promote economic and job growth. The study will explore the establishment of 220-mph service between O’Hare International Airport, downtown Chicago, McCormick Place, and Champaign-Urbana. It will also look at extending the corridor in the region to cities south of Champaign-Urbana, including St. Louis and Indianapolis.

Leading the study will be University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Their findings are expected to be complete and presented to Governor Quinn in late 2012. The study is funded through a $1.25 million contribution from the Illinois Jobs Now! in-state capital program. Illinois Jobs Now! has also made contributions to the current high-speed rail initiatives throughout Illinois. Researchers will provide recommendations for location, ridership, economic impact, overall cost and financing options.

“Illinois is leading the nation with our work to expand high-speed and passenger rail,” said Governor Quinn. “This study will provide greater insight into how we can make 220-mph rail service a reality. An expanded and improved rail network will boost our position in the global economy and create thousands of jobs.”

Connecticut, New York and Rhode Island all received large awards to expand already existing rail projects throughout the region. All of these states accepted awards in the first round of funding and will now have additional funds to add to their slate of projects.

Connecticut was awarded $30 million for the third phase of the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield (NHHS) high-speed intercity passenger rail project. This project supports nearly 50 trains and an anticipated 1.26 million riders annually by 2030. The state expects to complete all design work on the project in 2013 and launch the new service in 2016.

New York accepted $517 million for a slate of projects including congestion relief on passenger rail into and out of Manhattan, capacity improvements, rail upgrades and construction of Rochester Intermodal Station on the Empire Corridor. Rhode Island accepted $28 million for a variety of projects including an additional 1.5 miles of track in Kingston that will enable high-speed Amtrak Acela trains, station and platform improvements.

Outside of the Northeast Corridor, Michigan and Minnesota were also awarded funds. Michigan accepted $200 million for improvements to the rail corridor between Dearborn and Kalamazoo. Ridership along this line increased to record levels in 2010 and continues to climb as 2011 progresses. Minnesota accepted $5 million for the Northern Lights Express rail service. The Northern Lights express will be a high-speed intercity passenger service connecting Minneapolis to Duluth with 110-mph high-speed rail service.

The legislation, uses several financing mechanisms that will take advantage of current low interest rates on bonds. Under the terms of the package, VDOT will issue $1.8 billion in bonds over the next three years along with $1.1 billion in federally backed Direct GARVEE Bonds.

The state will also create Virginia Transportation Infrastructure Bank, which will make low-interest loans and grants to localities, transportation authorities and private-sector partners for transportation projects. The bank will be funded through a $283 million allocation from the 2010 budget surplus. The Governor has set a goal of putting $1 billion into the bank through a variety of funding mechanisms over the next three years.

Other measures in the package will allow for the use of inmate labor at rest areas, increased authority over contracts and budget surpluses for the VDOT commissioner and repeals of outdated laws. The state is also aiming to streamline its transportation procurement process by increasing the initial contract period for term contracts.

Governor McDonnell noted, “It has been over 20 years since we have made a major investment in our transportation system. For far too long Virginians sat stuck in traffic while partisan politics put the brakes on progress. This year we put partisanship aside and recognized that for Virginia to retain its status as the friendliest state in the nation for business, we must invest in transportation and help the private sector create much-needed jobs in all parts of the Commonwealth.”

The Connecticut Department of Transportation proposed to construct the New Britain-Hartford Busway, an exclusive-guideway bus rapid transit system along a 9.4-mile corridor between downtown New Britain and downtown Hartford. The busway would run parallel to Interstate 84, the primary transportation link between New Britain, West Hartford, and downtown Hartford. To date, FTA has provided $69 million in support of the project.

Projects like this one are a priority for the Obama administration. President Obama’s proposed 2012 budget includes funding for busway projects in El Paso, San Francisco, Seattle, Jacksonville, Oakland, Fresno and Grand Rapids. The project is expected to move forward throughout the summer construction season and create new jobs. The Obama administration is focusing the funding on projects like Connecticut’s which are, “shovel-ready.”

“The Obama Administration is pleased to partner with the people of Connecticut to create jobs now on a project to ease the punishing congestion on I-84.” said FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff. “Governor Malloy’s support of this ready-to-go project echoes the Administration’s position that this is a smart, cost-effective investment in Connecticut’s transportation future. This grant keeps us moving forward.”

If granted, about $373 million of the federal funds will be used in the immediate future for significant improvements and upgrades to rail equipment and infrastructure. Another $600 million would be used over the longer term to complete necessary planning and design for building the separate, dedicated high-speed line across Missouri, and for purchasing necessary properties.

If approved, the work between St. Louis and Kansas City would complement new construction underway in Illinois to connect Chicago with St. Louis. The new round of applications comes as Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced he will make recently rejected funds available to other states. States have a deadline of April 4 to apply for the reallocated funds in a competitive process – the funds may be awarded among several applicants. Missouri has already received $32 million in federal funding for improvements to the St. Louis to Kansas City corridor.

“It would be a transformative step for Missouri, both in terms of the jobs created and in developing this mode of transportation between our state’s two largest metropolitan areas and the cities along the route, including the state capital,” Governor Nixon said of the project.

Construction will begin on April 5 and is funded through $1.2 billion in federal grants awarded to Illinois to expand passenger rail. By starting construction now, the state will be able to create jobs through the summer construction season. Illinois is also providing more than $42 million in state funding. The high-speed rail network is expected to create an estimated $23.1 billion in economic activity over the next ten years.

Construction of the entire Chicago-to-St. Louis line is anticipated to ultimately create and retain 24,000 direct and indirect jobs throughout the state. The first phase of the line was launched in September. The first trains traveling at 110 mph on the Chicago-to-St. Louis line will make their debut between Dwight and Pontiac as early as next year.

The Illinois project is also important for being one of the first to move forward successfully and break ground in the Midwest. Governors in Ohio and Wisconsin have chosen to reject federal funding for high speed rail projects creating gaps in what could be a rail network between the Midwest and the Northeast Corridor.

“We are proud to be leaders on a project that will reduce congestion, benefit the environment and spark economic development,” Illinois Transportation Secretary Gary Hannig said. “We will see the returns on our efforts to develop the Chicago-to-St. Louis high-speed corridor for years to come.”