SAN ANTONIO — The VIA Board of Trustees for the Advanced Transportation District finalized an agreement with Bexar County on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, allowing the VIA Rapid Silver Line to move forward in seeking federal matching funds.
This puts VIA closer to attracting $146.7 million in federal dollars to build the Silver Line project, which would run from near Our Lady of the Lake University on the west side through downtown and to the Frost Bank Center on the east side, a news release stated.
The VIA Rapid projects will provide more opportunity for VIA employees — with new vehicles, new stations, and new riders.
The board’s vote comes on the heels of action by the Bexar County Commissioners Court, which approved the agreement to add $102 million in funding for the Silver Line, the region’s second planned Advanced Rapid Transit corridor. The $102 million in local funds includes $2 million to fund free fares for the first year of service for the Green Line and the Silver Line.
The ATD allocation is reportedly critical in closing a local funding gap in order for VIA to seek federal funding to cover 50% of the project cost.
“It’s been a lot of negotiations between VIA and the county in order to make the best deal for the taxpayers of this county,” County Judge Peter Sakai said after the commissioners court vote. “The beauty of this proposal is that it was negotiated not to put the financial burden on the taxpayers.”
VIA President/CEO Jeffrey C. Arndt commented on the importance of the partnership.
“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,” he said. “We’ve worked closely with Judge Sakai, commissioners and County Manager David Smith to reach the agreement, and I look forward to our board taking up the issue for a vote on Tuesday.”
The Silver Line will complement the Green Line, the region’s first ART line. Construction is expected to begin next year with revenue service slated to begin in 2027. A key feature of Advanced Rapid Transit is the use of dedicated lanes, along with several other characteristics that speed up service. That includes off-board fare collection, transit-friendly traffic signals and level boarding platforms. Both lines are expected to have 10-minute frequency on weekdays and 15-minute frequency on weekends.
The Green and Silver lines are components of the voter-approved Keep San Antonio Moving (KSAM) initiative approved by voters in 2020.
Source: VIA Metropolitan Transit
