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DART gets $86 million for new rail
By SARAH BLASKOVICH, Staff Writer
The Senate passed a bill today that will secure more than $86 million for the DART rail that runs between Pleasant Grove and Farmers Branch.
The $86 million goes toward the “green line,” which will connect parts of downtown Dallas to Farmers Branch and Carrollton. The funding will only be used between Pleasant Grove and Farmers Branch, however. The portion of the line that extends north into Carrollton will get its funding locally, said Morgan Lyons, DART spokesman.
The project will cost about $1.7 billion in full, and the federal government has agreed to supply a little less than half of that — or about $700 million — Lyons said. The $700 million was arranged in the Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) in July 2006, and portions of that total will be voted on each fiscal year. Last year, DART received about $70 million, Lyons said.
U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) was a proponent of the bill, which was officially called the Transportation and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill. The Senate passed the bill by a vote of 88-7.
“With the infrastructure challenges we have in Dallas and with the incredible growth, public transportation is incredibly important,” said Matt Mackowiak, spokesman for Sen. Hutchison. “Any funding she can secure is good for Dallas and it’s good for Texas.”
The $86 million will be used primarily for construction costs, Lyons said. DART may also use an undisclosed amount of money to purchase land, he said.
“We’ve worked with the delegation for several months,” Lyons said. “We’re very happy. Senator Hutchison continues to be a champion of the project.”
Contact Sarah Blaskovich at 972-628-4074 or at SBlaskovich@acnpapers.com.
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