Oklahoma City Upgrades Transit Hub

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Oklahoma City has been awarded a $13.6 million grant to help transform downtown’s Santa Fe Station into an intermodal transit hub.

The U.S. Department of Transportation grant will help renovate the historic depot into the future hub for the city’s modern streetcar service and will eventually serve as a regional transportation center. The 79-year old station is already home to Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer.

The grant will be matched locally with funds from Oklahoma City’s Metropolitan Area Projects sales tax initiative, the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.

Renovations are expected to begin in 2015. The grant money must be spent by 2016.

A total of 52 transportation grants totaling $474 million were awarded to help improve the transportation infrastructure in 37 states.