Public transportation : New Starts Program challenges and preliminary observations on expediting project development : testimony before the Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development, Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, U.S. Senate / statement of A. Nicole Clowers.

Format:

Book

Government document

Author/Creator:

Clowers, A. Nicole

Contributor:

United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development

United States. Government Accountability Office

Series:

Testimony ; GAO-09-763T.

Testimony ; GAO-09-763T

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

New Starts (Program).

Federal aid to transportation--United States.

Federal aid to transportation.

Local transit--United States.

Local transit.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (15 pages) : illustrations

Other Title:

New Starts Program challenges and preliminary observations on expediting project development

Place of Publication:

[Washington, D.C.] : U.S. Govt. Accountability Office, [2009]

Summary:

The New Starts program is an important source of new capital investment in mass transportation. As required by the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) must prioritize transit projects for funding by evaluating, rating, and recommending projects on the basis of specific financial commitment and project justification criteria, such as costeffectiveness, economic development effects, land use, and environmental benefits. To be eligible for federal funding, a project must advance through the different project development phases of the New Starts program, including alternatives analysis, preliminary engineering, and final design. Using the statutorily identified criteria, FTA evaluates projects as a condition for advancement into each project development phase of the program. This testimony discusses the (1) key challenges associated with the New Starts program and (2) options that could help expedite project development in the New Starts program. This testimony is based on GAO's extensive body of work on the New Starts program and ongoing work--as directed by Congress. For this work, GAO reviewed FTA documents and interviewed FTA officials, sponsors of New Starts projects, and representatives from industry associations. The FTA reviewed the information in this testimony and provided technical comments.

Notes:

Title from PDF title screen (GAO, viewed July 15, 2009).

"For release ... June 3, 2009."

Includes bibliographical references.

OCLC:

495858730