What's New

A roundabout in Fairlawn and new Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses are among the six Greater Akron area projects that will receive nearly $13 million in Congestion Mitigation Air Quality (CMAQ) Program funds.

GROWING FLEETS:
The Greater Akron area’s two transit authorities, METRO of Summit County and the Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority, will be adding more CNG-powered vehicles, like the one shown above, to their fleets in 2023 and 2022 respectively. The bus purchases are among six area projects that will receive CMAQ funds.

The CMAQ Program provides federal funds to surface transportation projects and other related efforts that improve air quality and provide congestion relief.  In Ohio, the program is administered by a statewide CMAQ Program Committee comprised of representatives from the state’s eight largest metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) with populations over 200,000, which includes the Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study (AMATS).  This year, the committee received 87 project applications seeking over $300 million.  After an extensive screening process, the committee recently selected approximately $165 million in projects across the Buckeye State.

Six Greater Akron area projects were selected by the committee to receive funding.  Details about these projects are provided in the accompanying table: