Oakland County awards $1.6M to five Access to Transit projects; $900K of this year’s allocation remains unspent

Oakland County’s transit office on Feb. 11 announced awards from the 2026 Access to Transit program, selecting five projects from nine applications and recommending about $1.6 million in capital funds with nearly $500,000 in local matches.

“We have selected five to move forward for funding with a total of 1.6 million,” Lindsey Wallace, principal planner, told commissioners. Eli Cooper, county transit manager, said the program focuses on safety, ADA-accessible sidewalks, crosswalks and bus amenities such as shelters.

Staff said the solicitation drew nine applications requesting roughly $3.7 million; the county budgeted $2 million for the program this year. Commissioners noted that with $1.6 million recommended the county will not allocate about $900,000 of the current-year funds. Commissioner Johnson urged staff to notify municipalities and local stakeholders that funds remain available specifically for bus stops, shelter and accessibility improvements.

The committee approved the five recommended awards and also approved housekeeping contract amendments restoring a missing administrative exhibit for local transportation authorities and contractors.

Staff said they will circulate details on the unallocated balance and encouraged municipalities to apply next cycle; SMART and regional partners also maintain complementary stop-improvement programs that communities can access.