Riverside County will receive more than $10 million in state transit funding

Riverside County will receive more than $10 million of $136 million in state funding released today for transit programs statewide, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced.

At a news conference at the Fashion Valley Transit Center in San Diego’s Mission Valley, Schwarzenegger announced that the funds, generated by Proposition 1B, would be spent on 99 transit projects throughout California.

“By investing in transit projects across the state, we can stimulate the economy, reduce traffic congestion and protect the environment by reducing greenhouse emissions,” Schwarzenegger said. “The funding of these projects will encourage the use of public transit and give Californians an alternative to rising gas prices.”

Of the $10.5 million allocated for Riverside County, $8 million will go toward toward replacement and expansion of transit services, including implementation of a Bus Rapid Transit service along the Escondido (Interstate 215) corridor.

Another $2.5 million will go to the Riverside County Transportation Commission for the Green Metrolink Station Rehabilitation project to update and modernize all five of its stations, using environmentally friendly technologies.

The bulk of the total funding announced today -- some $60.4 million -- went to the Bay Area, mostly to modernize rapid transit stations in San Francisco and replace older buses.

Proposition 1B, a $20 billion infrastructure bond, was approved by voters in 2006.