Congressman Paul Tonko announced today that the U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded the Capital District Transportation Authority a $3.2 million grant which will be used to replace the roofs of three CDTA buildings in Albany. This grant was awarded through the Federal Transit Authority’s “State of Good Repair” program, and was one of $776 million in grants awarded to 152 transit providers throughout the country.

The main part of the project will be to replace the roofs of the Albany Bus Facility and paint shop, both located at 110 Watervliet Avenue.  This replacement includes the addition of energy efficient lighting, insulation and heating and air conditioning equipment, along with the installation of a 50kW solar panel system to the maintenance facility.

 This project will also replace the roof on CDTA’s office building at 85 Watervliet Avenue. All three roofs are past their normal life expectancy.

“Congratulations to CDTA for securing this grant and for putting together a project that addresses future energy use,” said Congressman Tonko. “This grant money will help facilitate some long overdue infrastructure improvements for CDTA and provide energy efficiency upgrades that will help save a substantial amount on energy costs in the future.”          

“We appreciate the support of Congressman Paul Tonko, New York State Department of Transportation and New York State Energy Research and Development to improve our transit infrastructure and to enhance our environmental sustainability efforts,” said CDTA Chairperson Denise Figueroa. “Using solar powered panels is another way for CDTA to become more energy efficient.”

The total cost for the project is $4.5 million. The additional funds will be provided by the New York State Department of Transportation, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and CDTA. NYSERDA will also conduct an energy audit of all three buildings.

Created this year, the Federal Transit Administration’s “State of Good Repair” program is designed to help transit providers like CDTA deliver safer, more reliable transportation, operate more efficiently, lower fuel costs, and repair aging transit infrastructure. 
                       

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