Biden transportation budget includes $56 million for Rochester Rapid Transit project

Rochester’s proposed bus rapid transit system received a boost from the federal government on Friday with the release of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s recommended 2022 budget.

The proposed budget would allocate $2.5 billion for new and expanded public transit service across the U.S., including $56.1 million for Rochester Rapid Transit. That number represents about half of the total project cost.

The Rochester line is one of two projects to receive the endorsement of the Federal Transit Administration; the other is in the Twin Cities.

“High-amenity public transit is among the most catalytic of public infrastructure investments,” said Patrick Seeb, executive director of Destination Medical Center, in an announcement from the city. “Rochester Rapid Transit will advance our transportation goals and provide opportunities for future transit oriented development. We are grateful for the efforts locally and in Washington to advance the project.”

The federal transportation budget — along with the rest of President Joe Biden’s $6 trillion spending plan — still requires congressional approval.

As proposed, the first phase of Rochester Rapid Transit would be a 2.6 mile transit line connecting downtown Rochester, the Mayo Civic Center, Mayo Clinic campuses, and the Rochester-Olmsted Government Center.

The project is now in the environmental review and design stage. Local officials anticipate the system will be up and running by 2025.

More information on the project can be found here.

Cover: Artist rendering of the BRT system’s 6th Avenue station