COLUMBIA, S.C. — Today, Congressman James E. Clyburn is pleased to announce South Carolina will receive $342,000 in Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Areas of Persistent Poverty Program funding for the TriCounty Link. Currently, the TriCounty Link system maintains 9 regular fixed routes and 4 commuter routes for the rural residents of Berkley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties. This funding will support the development of additional routes in Summerville and same day, on-demand transit service in currently serviced communities.

These routes will be developed in partnership with the Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA), who recently received nearly $26 million to build the Shipwatch Square Transit and Workforce Center — an electric transportation hub for the Charleston and North Charleston communities — from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

“This funding is yet another example of how the Biden-Harris Administration is dedicated to providing persistent poverty communities with the resources they need to thrive,” said Congressman James E. Clyburn. “I am happy to see the FTA is building on my 10-20-30 plan by distributing funding to the communities in South Carolina and throughout the nation that have been left underserved for too long.”

The Areas of Persistent Poverty Program awards grants to eligible applicants for the planning, engineering, or development of financial plans to improve transit access in areas experiencing long-term economic distress. This round of Areas of Persistent Poverty Program funding was in part made possible through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022, which also included more than $373 million to fund community projects in South Carolina and nearly $155 million for projects in the Sixth Congressional District. Congressman Clyburn was the only member of the South Carolina House delegation to support this legislation. 

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