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JTA granted $12.9M for COVID-19 response

Funds are in addition to $15.2M agency already received in May from CARES Act

JTA Adjusts Bus Routes After Demand Increase

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Transportation Authority has been granted $12.9 million by the federal government as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration awarded the funds in two grants to JTA.

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The $12.9 million grant awards are in addition to the $15.2 million CARES Act funding JTA previously received in May. JTA will use the grant funds for administrative expenses associated with its transit, passenger ferry and skyway operations.

See FTA’s apportionment tables for the totals apportioned to each area. (This funding is based on the agency’s current request and may not represent the full amount the agency will receive.)

“This historic $25 billion in grant funding will ensure our nation’s public transportation systems can continue to provide services to the millions of Americans who continue to depend on them,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao.

The CARES Act was signed by President Donald Trump on March 27.

“We know many of our nation’s public transportation systems are facing extraordinary challenges and these funds will go a long way to assisting our transit industry partners in battling COVID-19,” said FTA Acting Administrator K. Jane Williams. “These federal funds will support operating assistance to transit agencies of all sizes providing essential travel and supporting transit workers across the country who are unable to work because of the public health emergency.”

In addition to the CARES Act funding, FTA issued a Safety Advisory that prompts transit agencies to develop and implement policies and procedures regarding face coverings and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), cleaning and disinfection of frequently touched surfaces, physical separation, and hand hygiene consistent with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidance.  CARES Act funding can be used to cover 100 percent of these costs. 


About the Author

A Jacksonville native and proud University of North Florida alum, Francine Frazier has been with News4Jax since 2014 after spending nine years at The Florida Times-Union.

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