Commissioners tell staff to ask FTA to remove transit signal prioritization from BUILD grant; Teton Pass trail discussion continued

Teton County commissioners voted unanimously to have staff submit a revision request to the Federal Transit Administration to remove the transit signal prioritization (TSP) component from the Teton Mobility Corridor BUILD grant and to reallocate the federal funds associated with that component to other BUILD-grant elements.

"TSP means green lights for START buses," Heather Overholser, Teton County director of public works, told the board as she summarized challenges including WYDOT concerns, a required concept-of-operations study, and budget increases for the system. Overholser said the BUILD grant currently budgets $225,000 for TSP while recent estimates put total TSP costs closer to $920,000. Removing TSP from the BUILD grant would let the county reallocate federal dollars to other components and avoid committing substantial local matching funds for a project that requires further study.

Staff and speakers stressed they were not abandoning the idea of transit signal prioritization. Overholser and START representatives recommended completing a concept-of-operations plan first (estimated cost about $127,000) and revisiting TSP later or seeking other FTA funding. WYDOT expressed operational concerns about TSP’s potential to lengthen red times and affect cross-traffic; Overholser said WYDOT provided a letter of support for the BUILD grant application but declined to endorse implementation without additional study.

Public commenters urged the county to preserve funding for the Teton Pass Centennial Trail, with several calling for at least a partial trail build or a design for an underpass at Coal Creek. The board asked staff to return with numbers and options for building parts of the Teton Pass trail so the board could decide whether to prioritize a phase or the underpass. Overholser noted that the Federal Highway Administration has $1 million in discretionary funding tied to the underpass but that FHWA funds are contingent on completion of the full trail to Coal Creek.

Commissioners agreed to continue discussion of the Teton Pass trail at an upcoming meeting so staff could present specific cost options. In the meantime the board approved the revision request to FTA for removal of TSP and reallocation of the associated federal funds.

Votes at a glance: Motion to authorize staff to submit a revision request to the Federal Transit Administration to remove the transit signal prioritization project from the BUILD grant and request reallocation of the associated federal funds; mover: Commissioner Macker; second: Commissioner Carlin; outcome: approved unanimously.

Staff said they will submit the FTA revision request (targeting September) and return with options and cost estimates for partial trail construction or an underpass, including the feasibility of using existing FHWA funds for the underpass if the trail is completed to Coal Creek.