November 30, 2018

SANTA ANA, Calif. – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) today announced a $149 million Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) with the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) for the Orange County Streetcar (formerly known as Santa Ana/Garden Grove Streetcar) in California. Funding will be provided through FTA’s Capital Investment Grants (CIG) Program.

“This significant investment will help expand public transportation options in Southern California, improving mobility and access to jobs for the riders who take public transit every day,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao.

The project is a 4.1-mile streetcar line connecting riders to major activity centers and other transportation services in downtown Santa Ana.

This is the third FFGA signed under this administration. FTA has advanced funding for 17 new CIG projects throughout the nation under this administration since January 20, 2017, totaling approximately $4.8 billion in funding commitments. The present administration will have executed 13 CIG funding agreements by Dec. 31, 2018 for $3.3 billion in CIG funding.

“This project is a good example of leveraging federal funds to support locally driven transportation priorities,” said FTA Acting Administrator K. Jane Williams. “It will provide important multi-modal connections to Amtrak, Metrolink commuter rail, Greyhound, and local bus service.”

The CIG Program provides funding for major transit infrastructure capital investments nationwide. Projects accepted into the program must go through a multi-year, multi-step process according to requirements in law to be eligible for consideration to receive program funds.

To date, FTA has allocated $1.86 billion of the $2.62 billion in FY 2018 CIG funds appropriated for projects by Congress. FT A will continue to consider additional FY 2018 CIG allocations, based on the merits of individual projects.

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