The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) gave approval to VIA Metropolitan Transit to continue the development of a federal funding investment request for a streetcar system.

The FTA’s approval of entry into project development puts VIA on the path toward federal funding for future phases of the project. Local funding is already in place through a partnership with the City of San Antonio and Bexar County/Texas Department of Transportation.

Although this step does not actually allocate federal funding to the project, it is the first stage in the process of applying for federal monies to match local funds already secured.

“This continues our advancement of the transformative streetcar project at the federal level,” said VIA President/CEO Jeffrey C. Arndt. “We are seeking to leverage our local funding to provide the complete system adopted by the VIA board and bring those federal dollars to San Antonio.”

The project is part of VIA’s SmartMove initiative. When completed, the streetcar project will enhance mobility in the heart of San Antonio by integrating with existing transit services, making them more useful and reliable while working as a complete system with the bus services in the central business district, according to the transit system.