U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced a $332.5 million award of American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds to the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT).

American Rescue Plan transit funds are intended to help transit agencies around the country maintain service and keep workers on the payroll as communities continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Public transportation has helped people reach their jobs at hospitals, grocery stores, ports, and more throughout this pandemic,” said Buttigieg. “This funding from President Biden’s American Rescue Plan will help keep transit service running, protect transit employees from layoffs, and ensure people can get where they need to go.”

The grant funds for CTDOT will help maintain and improve transit service for Connecticut residents and visitors as the agency continues to address pandemic-related challenges such as decreased ridership, and staff shortages.

Connecticut’s public transportation network supports more than 3.6 million residents. In 2019, CTDOT provided 11 million trips in total across multiple modes of public transportation. Its bus service alone provided 10.4 million trips in 2019.

“As our nation’s transit systems recover from COVID-19, the American Rescue Plan funds ensure that they continue to provide service to the many Americans who depend on transit to get to essential jobs, healthcare, and vaccine appointments,” said Nuria Fernandez, FTA administrator.

This funding is part of more than $30 billion for public transportation in the American Rescue Plan Actwhich was signed into law by President Biden last March. The funding comes from the $26.6 billion allocated by statutory formulas to urban and rural areas, Tribal governments, and for the enhanced mobility of seniors and individuals with disabilities. The Act also included $2.2 billion for additional transit pandemic-associated need, which will be awarded later this year. No local share is required for this funding.

To date, FTA has awarded more than $56 billion in COVID-relief funding to transit agencies nationwide. Under the American Rescue Plan, other recent awards include a $395.6 million grant award to King County Metro in King County, Washington, a $285.7 million grant award to the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority in Atlanta, Georgia, and a $6.2 million grant award to the City of Ames, Iowa.