Last week, U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, D-Fla., who sits on the U.S. House Appropriations Committee, announced more funds for the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) to create a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line from downtown St. Petersburg to the beaches.
Crist announced that the project will get another $720,000 from the federal government. These funds are in addition to almost $22 million that Crist announced at the end of May.
“The people of Pinellas have been calling for a reinvestment in our public transportation for years,” said Crist on Thursday. “With these grants, that dream is finally becoming a reality – a fast, efficient, and environmentally sustainable way to get folks from our beautiful downtown waterfront to our beaches, and many places in between! This is just the beginning of a new, greener future for our region, and I am so grateful to be a part of it.”
“The BRT line will provide a fast, easy, and reliable transportation option to serve local attractions, destinations, and residential communities across Pinellas. The train-like vehicles will feature semi-dedicated lanes, limited stops, and safety enhancements for riders including level boarding platforms, ADA compliant crosswalks, and free WiFi,” the congressman’s office noted.
Reach Kevin Derby at kevin.derby@floridadaily.com.
R. Michael Walsh
June 26, 2020, 10:03 am at 10:03 am
I want to thank you congressman Christ for all the hard work you put in to help make Pinellas county a place where folks want to live and visit. You do so much more than our former Governor Scott who promised to “Drain the Swamp” if elected to the Senate. Haven’t heard much from him since he got elected! We also need mass transportation that ties Hillsborough county and Sarasota county to our beautiful beaches as well. We need mass transportation that would tie our western Florida Counties to the Orlando area and Eastern counties as well. These would alleviate allot of the traffic congestion on I-4 and I-75, as well as I-275. Hopefully you can convince many more congressman and woman to see the benefits of such infrastructure improvements made in Florida that benefits all Americans. Hopefully we see a big turnover in the upcoming elections and get a congress that is more “for the people and by the people” than exists today. Thanks for listening, Sincerely, R. Michael Walsh