Plans for the San Antonio area’s first Advanced Rapid Transit corridor have reached another major milestone in the form of federal support for a proposed North-to-South line along San Pedro Avenue. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) released an initial favorable rating for the proposed Advanced Rapid Transit (ART) North/South project, being developed by VIA Metropolitan Transit. This milestone reflects the first time in history that a project from the San Antonio area has been rated as part of the Capital Investments Grant (CIG) program.
The purpose of the ART North/South Corrido Project is to develop transit improvements that provide reliable, frequent, and direct service between key activity centers such as the San Antonio International Airport, Midtown, Downtown San Antonio, and the Southtown/King William neighborhoods. The North/South Corridor will connect major employment and residential centers from the San Antonio Airport through Downtown and Southtown. The project addresses numerous needs in our community. Additionally, the project’s design includes frequent service within dedicated lanes and the system features signal priority, off-board fare collection, raised platforms, and stations spaced further apart.
In 2020 the San Antonio and Bexar County community voted overwhelmingly to support redirecting the One-Eight-Cent Sales Tax to go to VIA to help support funding this project, and others in the Keep SA Moving framework. This project will improve multi-modal connectivity and increase accessibility and equity for our most vulnerable riders along the corridor. This infrastructure investment is necessary to promote long-term continued economic growth and increase mobility options in the area and do so in an environmentally friendly manner helping to reduce barriers to opportunity and automobile dependency.
The San Antonio Chamber supports VIA’s Advanced Rapid Transit Project and the FTA’s initial favorable rating for this project is wonderful news for our community as this project will benefit the San Antonio and Bexar County region.
VIA will host a series of public meetings throughout 2022 to discuss the proposed improvements with the community. This public engagement will help shape the ultimate design and concept that drives efforts for potential federal funding and support.
For more information, contact Cacie Madrid, VP of Public Policy at (210) 229-2161.