Prince George's County Council votes to send letter supporting MTA's regional accelerator grant application

The County Council of Prince George's County, sitting as the committee of the whole, voted 8-0 on Jan. 21, 2024, to send a letter supporting the Maryland Transit Administration's application to the U.S. Department of Transportation Build America Bureau for the Regional Infrastructure Accelerator Grant.

County staff said the grant program, established under the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, allows regional entities to create "infrastructure accelerators" that help jurisdictions access federal technical assistance and resources to speed transit projects. "They've asked us for a letter of support," Kenny Battle, who provided the staff overview, told the committee.

The MTA submitted its application before the Jan. 9 deadline and may receive an award from a pool of $10,000,000. Awards in this round range from $1,000,000 to $1,500,000. Council members were told MTA has until Jan. 28 to gather letters of support. Battle said the accelerator once established will allow MTA and federal partners to identify and prioritize the specific projects to be accelerated.

Council member Olson moved a favorable recommendation to send the letter; Council member Fisher seconded the motion. The clerk conducted a roll-call vote and the motion passed unanimously, 8-0. The clerk recorded the result on the record as "Motion carries 8 0." The committee's discussion also included a question about what projects the accelerator would cover; staff said MTA referenced metro subway stations in its "cornerstone plan" and mentioned projects such as the Purple Line, but specific project lists will be developed with federal partners once an accelerator is established.

The committee did not take any further action besides approving the letter of support. Staff said additional briefings on particular projects will follow if the accelerator is awarded or as MTA refines project priorities.