San Antonio's VIA grabs $102 million to fund rapid transit bus line

VIA Metropolitan Transit’s plans for a rapid transit bus line connecting the city's East and West sides is a step closer to reality after the transit authority’s trustees approved a new funding agreement with Bexar County.

The deal signed Tuesday secures $102 million in revenue from VIA’s Advanced Transportation District (ATD) towards the transit authority's proposed bus line, dubbed the Silver Line. The ATD uses a quarter-cent sales tax to fund transportation improvement projects around San Antonio.

“The agreement between Bexar County and the Advanced Transportation District is a crucial step because it secures the local funding needed for VIA to attract federal dollars, which we expect to cover 50% of the project cost,” VIA President and CEO Jeffrey C. Arndt said in a statement.

Slated to open in 2029, VIA’s Silver Line will connect Our Lady of the Lake University to the Frost Bank Center. Unlike VIA’s other bus routes, the Silver Line will travel down a designated center lane, allowing it to bypass traffic and travel more efficiently.

VIA’s other Advanced Rapid Transit Project, the Green Line , will connect San Antonio International Airport to Stevens Avenue on the South Side. VIA expects to complete that project by 2027.

Combined, the Silver and Green lines are expected to receive some $416 million in federal dollars, marking the first time in San Antonio’s history that the region will have qualified for Capital Investment Grants from the Federal Transit Administration.

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