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Happy New Year! I want to begin by extending a heartfelt thank you to our Region 4 recipients for a successful Fiscal Year 2024. We awarded 433 grants for a total of $1.8 billion across the Southeastern Region. We celebrated groundbreakings, ribbon-cuttings, and “big-check” grant awards to so many of our grantees highlighted below… congratulations! I could not be more proud of the hard work that you do every day in providing safe and reliable transit services for your respective communities.
As we embark upon another fiscal year, I look forward to continuing our great partnerships in delivering more transit options to the riding public. The work that we do is critical and, together, we are improving the lives of the American people. Region 4 is here to assist you and your teams as always. We will continue communicating with you on a regular basis and thank you in advance for working with us to meet key grant-making deadlines and important data inquiries. Let’s make 2025 the best year ever!!
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According to a recent FTA report on transit trends, ridership in the United States continues to increase, growing by more than 17% nationwide from 2022 to 2023. The increase reflects more Americans choosing to take buses, subways, light rail, and other modes to travel to work, school, services, and weekend activities across the country and came as transit agencies better understood ridership needs following travel pattern changes during the pandemic. Learn more.
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The competitive grants through FTA’s Tribal Transit Program enable Tribes to buy transit vehicles, upgrade bus facilities, and expand or improve transit service. TInfrastructure Investment and Jobs Act includes nearly $46 million in competitive funding over five years for the Tribal Transit Program, an increase of nearly 83%. Learn more. |
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GoTriangle - Raleigh Union Station Bus Facility
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City of Murfreesboro – Murfreesboro Transit Center
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City of Raleigh (GoRaleigh) - Wake Bus Rapid Transit: New Bern Avenue Project
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City of Tallahassee (StarMetro) - Southside Transit Center
- Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) -JTA Bay Street Innovation Corridor (BSIC)
- Metropolitan Atlanta Transit Authority (MARTA) - MARTA and Clayton County Operations & Multipurpose Facility
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City of Durham – Durham Station Rehabilitation
- Kingsport Area Transit (KATS) - Completion of Phase 2 NEW Transit Garage
- Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) - Bus stop next to an Early Head Start Site located at Southwest Tennessee Community College
- Lee Board of County Commissions (LeeTran) - Park and Ride for the Lehigh Acres community
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Florida Department of Transportaion (FDOT) - 12.2 miles of Commuter Rail and one station extension from DeBary to DeLand
- Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) - Additional station built with $5.3M cost savings approved from the SunRunner BRT
- City of Huntsville - Transit Station on Pratt Avenue in downtown Huntsville
- Metropolitan Transit Authority of Nashville and Davidson County - The Dr. Ernest Rip Patton, Jr. North Nashville Transit Center
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Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) Subrecipient Projects:
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City of Frankfort Transit - Multi-level Parking Garage and Administrative Offices
- Audubon Area Community Services - Facility expansion to the current transit facility in Owensboro
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KY River Foothills - Main Facility, Bus Maintenance Garage and Storage Building in Richmond
Congratulations again to the above recipients on these significant accomplishments! In addition to those great recipient achievements, Region IV participated in a number of outreach activities:
- Urban League of Greater Atlanta’s Transportation, Infrastructure, and Equity Summit
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2024 CTAA Expo in West Palm Beach, FL
- USDOT Public Engagement Workshop in Atlanta
- OST’s Thriving Communities Regional Convening that took place in Durham, NC, Montgomery, AL, Hinds County, MS, and Isabela, PR
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15th Commemorative Event regarding Women and Girls In Transportation Initiative (WITI) at Atlanta University Center, sponsored by USDOT Mid-South Atlantic (MSA) Region, Small Business Transportation Resource Center (SBTRC).
- USDOT MSA SBTRC-DBE Stakeholders Engagement roundtable discussion
- Office of the Vice-President/DOT Event in Atlanta
- Puerto Rico Whitehouse Working Group (WHWG) USDOT Interagency Policy Council (IPC) visit to PR
- Puerto Rico Reconnecting Communities Award - Reconnecting Santurce Collaboration Agreement Signing Ceremony
- Summit on Transportation and Sustainable Economic and Road Development of the Eastern Region of Puerto Rico
Moving Forward: 2024’s Strategic Investments
In Federal FY 2024 Region 4 awarded 433 grants for over $1.8 billion, as follows.
- Alabama: 38 grants totaling $119,775,624
- Florida: 90 grants totaling $790,871,159
- Georgia: 31 grants totaling $267,631,187
- Kentucky: 16 grants totaling $64,219,634
- Mississippi: 7 grants totaling $18,737,135
- North Carolina: 84 grants totaling $151,285,564
- Puerto Rico: 68 grants totaling $174,690,559
- South Carolina: 44 grants totaling $93,115,680
- Tennessee: 51 grants totaling $141,888,880
- Virginia: 3 grants totaling $409,434
- U.S. Virgin Islands: 1 grant totaling $6,878,642
There are a number of upcoming training opportunities within Region 4:
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Region 4 Comprehensive Review Workshop #1
- February 26-27, 2025
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Crown Plaza Orlando -Downtown
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304 West Colonial Drive,
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Orlando, FL 32801
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Register
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Region 4 Comprehensive Review Workshop #2
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March 27-28, 2025
- Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center
- 800 Spring Street NW
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Atlanta, GA 30308
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Register
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Region 4 Comprehensive Review Workshop #3
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Date TBD
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San Juan, PR
- Registration details forthcoming
FTA’s Office of Program Oversight also published a Procurement 101 e-Learning Course to help recipients prepare for FTA reviews, particularly Triennial, State Management and Procurement Systems Reviews. This course provides a basic understanding of regional and recipient responsibilities when executing procurements financed with FTA assistance (third party contracts) and other government-wide Federal requirements.
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This year, the updated CIG Reporting Instructions, templates, and standard cost category worksheets are being released in January, reflecting the updated CIG Policy Guidance. This week, FTA will post updated CIG reporting instructions, templates, and standard cost category worksheets on FTA’s website. These documents are updated annually by FTA and should be used by:
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Project sponsors seeking a rating for advancement into the next phase of the CIG process (Engineering or a construction grant agreement);
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Project sponsors seeking a rating at any time other than a formal approval step in the CIG process; and
- Project sponsors who wish to have their project evaluated and rated for consideration as a funding recommendation in the upcoming FY 2027 Annual Report to Congress. The due date for submittal of complete information to FTA for the FY 2027 Annual Report is Friday August 22, 2025.
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In Region 4, the City of Greensboro, NC received $2 million to plan and design improvements along a new high-frequency bus corridor. Improvements will include pedestrian sidewalk and crossing infrastructure improvements, accessibility and lighting upgrades, bus shelter enhancements, and electric bus infrastructure installations.
The Hillsborough Transit Authority, in Tampa, FL, received $23.3 million to fund the first phase of site remediation and modernization for a heavy maintenance facility site that will eventually support a fleet of 250 CNG buses with future plans for CNG and/or hydrogen fueled low-emission vehicles. The project includes approximately 5.5-acres of land acquisition, stormwater remediation, a transit vehicle service lane, and security fencing.
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The U.S. Department of Transportation's Build America Bureau recently announced a Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program. Established by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the program offers $27 million in technical assistance grants for rural and tribal transportation project planning and design. No local funding match is required, and up to $10 million is allocated for Tribal applicants. Applications will be accepted starting Tuesday, March 4 and are due by April 3. |
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NEPA Checklist for Proposed Construction Activities (if applicable)
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Complete Anticipated Application Activity (AAA) Spreadsheets
*Discuss FFY25 application plans & expectations with pre- and post-award managers.
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TrAMS Transmittal Deadline for Lapsing and/or Critical Applications
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We strongly urge all grantees to upload their Authorizing Resolution and Opinion of Counsel before the March 5, 2025, deadline. On December 6, 2024, FTA’s Associate Administrator of Program Management issued a Dear Colleague letter highlighting that the following two documents must be uploaded to an agency’s profile to support verification of their legal capacity to carry out the project(s) included in federal assistance awards:
- Opinion of Counsel
- Authorizing Resolution
Beginning March 5, 2025, TrAMS will prevent any recipients that have not properly identified the Opinion of Counsel and Authorizing Resolution in their Recipient Document profile from transmitting or submitting new applications unless they have correctly labeled and/or uploaded their required legal documents.
Information on this enhancement and a short tutorial video are available on FTA’s TrAMS webpage.
Partial Year Apportionments
As our region continues to grow and enhance its capabilities, we are thrilled to welcome a dynamic group of professionals to our team. These individuals bring a wealth of expertise and fresh perspectives that will strengthen our ability to serve effectively. From engineering to program oversight and planning, their diverse skills are essential to advancing our mission.
We are excited to introduce the new team members joining Region 4. Richelle Grosman and Jonathan Ravenelle have joined as Lead Transportation Program Specialists in the Office of Financial Management and Program Oversight. Onur Kucuktas and Jesse Gulle have been appointed as General Engineers, with Onur contributing to Program Management and Project Oversight and Jesse to the Office of Financial Management and Program Oversight. Grace Fletcher brings her expertise as a Program Analyst, also within the Office of Financial Management and Program Oversight. Carmen Alicea-Ruiz joins us as a Transportation Program Specialist based in the Puerto Rico Office. Mark Schwabacher, a Pathways Student Intern focusing on Community Planning, is contributing to the Office of Planning and Project Development. Quinton Spann, Vontra Giles, and Tameka Wimberly have all joined as Transportation Program Specialists, strengthening our Office of Planning and Project Development and the Office of Financial Management and Program Oversight.
We are thrilled to welcome this talented group to Region 4 and look forward to their contributions in our ongoing work.
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Contact Information:
230 Peachtree Street
Suite #1400
Atlanta, Georgia 30303
United States
Region 4 | FTA
Business Hours:
8:00 a.m.-5 p.m. ET, M-F.
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