Senators Cantwell and Murray Announce Nearly $400 Million in Transportation Funding for King County from American Rescue Plan

Statement

Today, U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, and Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced $395.6 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act that will be going to King County Metro Transit. These funds are distributed by the Department of Transportation and intended to help transit agencies maintain service and jobs as communities continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

"As King County continues to grow, it's vital our transit system is able to keep up. This $395.6 million in federal funding will support Metro's plans to increase service in 2022, expand its fleet of zero-emission buses and bring new bus rapid transit lines from downtown Seattle to Burien, the International District to Rainier Valley, and Totem Lake to Eastgate," said Senator Cantwell.

"The American Rescue Plan continues to work for Washington state -- putting federal dollars where we need them most to get our communities up and running," said Senator Murray. "This money will go a long way toward making sure workers and families in King County can count on public transit to get to where they need to go. This federal support was a priority for me in the American Rescue Plan because better public transit means we can cut carbon emissions, connect communities, and create jobs. I'm going to keep fighting for King County in the Other Washington, and I'm especially proud that we were able to secure the largest ever investment in public transit when we passed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which will help keep Washington state moving forward."

Source