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Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Houston, Texas
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METRO RECEIVES FTA FINAL DESIGN APPROVAL The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) gave METRO permission today to enter into Final Design on Houston’s North and Southeast light-rail lines. The FTA’s approval is the final prerequisite toward entering Full Funding Grant Agreements on both lines, which signals the federal government’s commitment to fund its part of the projects. The approval authorizes METRO to undertake construction preparation activities such as utility relocation, right-of-way acquisition, development of detailed specifications and preparation of final construction plans. In its letters, the FTA noted that METRO has adequately defined the North and Southeast Corridor’s project scope, cost estimate, schedule and potential risk areas. It also states that METRO has demonstrated the technical capacity and capability to construct and implement the projects and has sufficient technical and management resources to enter into final design work. The FTA also notes that it is working with METRO to finalize items pertaining to METRO’s Title VI program and the implementation of a detailed operational analysis of rail-car headways when the project is completed. In July, METRO issued a $121 million work order for the North and Southeast lines, including initial utility relocation work. The work order is part of a larger contract that calls for the initial spending of $632 million on the North, Southeast and East End light-rail lines. Small and local businesses are expected to receive $300 million to $385 million in eligible contract work by the time four lines, including Uptown, are completed. The overall project is expected to generate 60,000 direct and indirect jobs.
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August 17, 2009
Subscribe To METRO Solutions NewsFlash Links Contacts North Corridor East End Corridor Uptown Corridor Media Contact
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Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Houston, Texas |
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