Aspen awarded $2.4 million in transit grants

Aspen, Colorado, has received $2.4 million in grant money from the federal government and the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) for transportation improvements, the city said Sunday.

CDOT awarded Aspen $1.4 million to replace three buses and four shuttles used on the local routes for fiscal year 2016 and 2017.

“We will be replacing three 14-year-old buses with the $1.4 million dollars,” Aspen Director of Transportation John Krueger said. "Without this grant funding it would be much more difficult to replace these vehicles. The competition for these dollars is really steep throughout the state and it’s a nod to our transit system and its riders that CDOT chose to grant so much money for this project. This funding could have gone to a list of other Colorado communities, so Aspen is very fortunate and thankful.”

The money comes from Funding Advancement for Surface Transportation and Economic Recovery (FASTER). Recipients are required to provide a minimum of 20 percent local match.

"CDOT feels it's important to fund transit projects like this one through FASTER funding,"  CDOT Regional Planning Manager Mark Rogers said. "If the potential is there to get more folks using transit options and out of cars then it's helping preserve the life span of the highways."