The US Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has announced a construction grant award of 22.2 million USD to support the new SURF! Busway and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project.
Awarded to Monterey-Salinas Transit (MST), the grant will be utilised in the construction of a dedicated six-mile busway for the planned 20-mile route connecting Monterey and Salinas.
The SURF! busway will be situated parallel to California Highway 1, and is set to run along a path replacing railroad rails.
The BRT project will also include additional stops for Marina, Sand City and Seaside, a new multimodal mobility hub set to be installed in the former Ford Ord redevelopment area, bicycle & pedestrian access improvements and the strengthening of transit signal priority.
Aiming to expand transit connectivity throughout Monterey County; SURF! will connect residents and visitors to recreational areas throughout the area, as well as provide streamlined connections to California State University at Monterey Bay.
The SURF! BRT line is currently expected to be in operation by 2028, and will be MST’s second BRT line. The total cost of the project has been estimated to cost roughly 100.5 million USD, with federal support being provided by the FTA’s Capital Investment Grants (CIG) initiative.
