WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. John Curtis (R-UT) has introduced bipartisan legislation into the 119th Congress to modernize how the federal government evaluates community transit projects for investments.
Authored by Curtis and congressional colleagues, the Promoting Access to Transit in High-Growth Communities (PATH) Act would modify how the federal government evaluates transit projects seeking funding through the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Capital Investment Grants (CIG) program.
“Communities across Utah are growing faster than ever,” according to Curtis, “and our transportation planning needs to reflect where people are headed — not just where they live today.”
“The PATH Act gives fast-growing regions a fairer opportunity to compete for federal transit investments by recognizing future demand alongside current conditions,” he adds. “Better forecasting means better infrastructure decisions, less congestion and stronger communities.”
The Federal Transit Administration supports transit systems nationwide, including buses, subways, light rail, commuter rail, trolleys and ferries, through funding — currently investing more than $20 billion annually — and technical assistance.
The FTA also oversees safety, protecting transit riders and workers, and helps develop the next generation of transit innovation through research.
The FTA’s work over the past six decades has modernized transit and extended service into small cities and rural communities that previously lacked options.
But members of Curtis’ staff in Washington explain that current federal transit funding evaluations rely heavily on existing population density and ridership, which can disadvantage rapidly growing communities where infrastructure has not yet caught up with population growth.
The PATH Act would allow the FTA to incorporate additional forecasting methods when evaluating a project’s future ridership and overall justification.
The proposed legislation would update the evaluation criteria for projects applying for FTA funding by allowing ridership forecasts to consider population growth rates, in addition to population density; the population measure that best reflects a project’s future ridership potential; current transit ridership in the project corridor; and local development planning activities that demonstrate future growth.
The PATH Act is being supported in the Senate by Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and in the House by Representatives Burgess Owens (R-UT), Mike Kennedy (R-UT), Dina Titus (D-NV) and Greg Stanton (D-AZ).
The proposal has also drawn praise from Jay Fox, executive director of the Utah Transit Authority, and Andrew Gruber, executive director of the Wasatch Front Regional Council.
By modernizing these forecasting methods, Curtis argues, the PATH Act aims to ensure federal transit investments better reflect the needs of communities experiencing rapid growth and significant new development.