Great news!  Thanks to the hard work of Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, Dallas has been awarded a grant from the federal government to develop its Downtown and Oak Cliff streetcar system.  From the Dallas Morning News Transportation Blog:

Dallas scored big this morning as Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced the city will receive $43 million in grants that will build a starter downtown streetcar loop that will cross into Oak Cliff [$23M], and will greatly reduce NTTA’s cost to build the State Highway 161 toll road [$20M].

Its two projects were among 51 — and the only ones in Texas — to win out in the competition TIGER grant competition announced this morning. The federal government had reserved some $1.5 billion in stimulus funds for a grant competition aimed at providing funds for creative projects, especially those that achieve the Administration’s sustainability goals.

Although the $23 million won’t cover the build out of the complete Downtown and Oak Cliff lines, it is a terrific start to our modern streetcar plans.  We’ll be working over the coming weeks to prioritize and plan for the use of these funds.

Many thanks to Congresswoman Johnson, her staff, City of Dallas staff, the Oak Cliff Transit Authority, and the North Central Texas Council of Governments!  Great work!

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