In another step toward keeping San Diego’s transit system in a state of good repair, the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) Board of Directors on March 17, 2016 unanimously approved $108 million for the FY 2017 Capital Improvement Program (CIP).
“The MTS CIP is an important road map for planning and funding assets for San Diego’s transit system. And having more than $100 million to allocate in CIP funds is very healthy for an agency our size. This includes new trolleys and buses, transit facility upgrades, hundreds of bus benches and bus shelters, technology improvements and more,” said MTS CEO Paul Jablonski. “MTS is committed to providing the best rider experience possible and the CIP helps us achieve this goal.”
Some of the MTS CIP projects receiving the most funding in FY 2017 are:
Eight new low-floor Trolleys - $31 million
New transit facility (location TBD) - $7.1 million
New Courthouse Trolley Station on C Street between State and Union streets - $5.7 million
MTS also uses CIP funding as the basis for federal, state and local grant applications. The CIP process began in October 2015 with an internal call for projects from MTS departments. Each department submitted its capital project requests in priority order, and the lists were consolidated for review by the Capital Projects Review Committee (CPRC). The CPRC reviewed the projects in the context of their impact on operations and determined the most critical projects to fund this year. The MTS Budget Development Committee, made up of several MTS Board members, then approved the CIP for full board consideration.