The city of Appleton and the city of Green Bay will receive more than $15 million to improve public transportation, invest in zero-emission buses, and build a new transit storage and maintenance facility.
The investments, from the Federal Transit Administration’s Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities program, are funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
“Valley Transit is excited to be awarded this highly competitive grant to finish the Whitman Facility Renovation,” said Valley Transit General Manager Ron McDonald.
Valley Transit will receive $12 million to complete the Whitman Facility Renovation Project to renew its administration, maintenance, and bus storage facility. The renovation project consists of updated maintenance bays, a new fueling and bus wash lane, and an expanded bus storage area. The renovated facility will also implement a solar array, rainwater collection for bus washing, and EV charging.
“This grant will help make our vision to deliver a safe, reliable, and ultimately more environmentally sustainable public transportation system for Appleton and the greater Fox Cities,” said Appleton Mayor Jake Woodford.
Its the second grant Appleton has received in recent weeks. Last week the city announced it had received $25 million for renovation and expansion of its downtown transit center.
The city of Green Bay will receive $3.1 million to replace diesel-powered buses with battery electric buses and charging equipment, improving safety and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. These efforts are expected to reduce maintenance costs as they bring Green Bay closer to reaching their goal of 100 percent clean energy by 2050.
“I am extremely proud that the city’s efforts to reduce our carbon footprint are receiving recognition and support from the federal government. I am thankful to President Biden and Secretary Buttigieg for making these funds available, Senator Baldwin for her strong representation and support of our application, and Director Kiewiz for her innovative leadership of Green Bay Metro,” said Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich.
