SECRETARY SLATER ANNOUNCES $3.9 MILLION TO NORTH CAROLINA DOT

Topics:  Rodney E. Slater

Federal Transit Administration
September 21, 1998

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, September 21, 1998
Contact: Velvet Snow
Tel.: (202) 366-9788
FTA 21-98

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Rodney E. Slater today announced a grant of $3.9 million in Federal Transit Administration (FTA) funds to the North Carolina Department of Transportation for the purchase of replacement and expansion buses and one replacement van.

"These funds will provide better and more efficient service for the people who use transit in North Carolina," Secretary Slater said. "President Clinton is committed to investing in a strong public transportation system which strengthens the economy and improves the quality of life for Americans."

The funds will be used to purchase fifteen 30-foot expansion buses for North Carolina’s Triangle Transit Authority and also for new buses that will be used in the cities of Charlotte, Hickory, Winston-Salem, Gastonia and the town of Chapel Hill. Charlotte will receive seven,

40-foot replacement buses; Chapel Hill, five 35-foot buses and one replacement van; Hickory, one 30-foot replacement bus; Winston-Salem, two 30-foot replacement buses; and Gastonia will receive one 30-foot expansion bus.

FTA funds are awarded after states, transit agencies and municipalities apply for and meet department of transportation federal-aid criteria.