Stimulus Program Information
With the passage of the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act", Congress and the President established a $787 billion economic stimulus program that will provide funds for revitalization projects including transit, highway, bridge, and infrastructure improvements, among others.
Locally, the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) was the agency responsible for allocating the transportation stimulus dollars. On February 26, 2009, the DVRPC Board approved some $668 million for initiatives in Greater Philadelphia and South Jersey. Of this funding, SEPTA received $190.9 million to complete 32 capital development projects.
In identifying eligible projects, SEPTA followed the basic program principles:
Projects had to be "shovel-ready"
Construction contracts would have to be awarded within 180 days
Project funds would have to be spent within two (2) years
Projects would vary in size and complexity requiring the services of small, medium, and large firms including DBE firms
Passenger service operations would be maintained during project construction
In order to hit the ground running once stimulus dollars were released, SEPTA took a number of steps to ensure that its capital development projects were ready to go including issuing requests for bids on work that needed to be completed by third party contractors and holding the first of several information sessions for DBE businesses - prime contractors and subcontractors - to ensure that all interested parties had the opportunity to compete for stimulus funded contracts. The average DBE commitment was 13% of the total contract.
In December 2008, SEPTA started design work to ensure that it would have "shovel ready" projects in preparation of a future stimulus bill being signed. This positioned SEPTA to be able to move swiftly with 32 projects. Of these 32 projects, 16 projects related to stations; 6 projects related to right-of-way (ROW), bridges, and track; 4 projects related to traction power systems; 5 projects related to communication & signal systems; and 1 project purchased new hybrid buses. The program involved all of SEPTA's services and all the project sites are located throughout operating region.
The 32 projects moved forward using ARRA funding required 54 separate contracts. Within 1 month of the signing of ARRA on February 17, 2009, SEPTA had bid and issued Notice To Proceed (NTP) on 3 contracts. Within 4 months, 21 Contracts had NTP; by 6 months, there were 36 Contracts with NTP. All 54 contracts were in place, with an NTP issued by February 17, 2010. This allowed SEPTA to meet its schedule and the requirements for ARRA funding.
Projects funded in this program ranged from small to large. This website highlights our pledge to customers and the communities we serve with these improvements. Each project profile provides project highlights & descriptions; photos when available; and contract information.
SEPTA continues to demonstrate a longstanding partnership commitment to building and strengthening our region - through the delivery of transit services, investing in our station, facility, infrastructure, and vehicle assets, and advancing sustainability/resource management initiatives. The funding SEPTA received through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act enabled the Authority to meet these objectives by enhancing transit amenities for customers and supporting the region's economy through construction contracts and the purchase of goods and services.
As of December 31, 2011, 47 of the 54 contracts have achieved substantial completion with 27 of the 32 projects achieving substantial completion. SEPTA's total ARRA program expenditures reached 94% with $179M in program expenses compared to the $190.9M program budget.