SMART Receives Transit/Rail Project of the Year Award

Friday, May 25, 2018 - 9:00am

The Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) District received top honors as Transit/Rail Project of the Year from the California Transportation Foundation (CTF) during an awards ceremony held May 24, 2018 in Orange County. The award recognizes excellence in California transportation projects in 2017. SMART was selected from a field of seven statewide nominees.

“This is excellent news,” said SMART Board of Directors Chairwoman Debora Fudge. “We are honored and humbled to receive this award. It is a reminder of the great responsibility we have to the North Bay in ensuring we continue to provide the best transportation services possible.”

SMART was nominated for the award by the Sonoma County Transportation Authority (SCTA).

“We want to thank both the SCTA and the California Transportation Foundation for this recognition,” said Judy Arnold, SMART’s vice chairwoman. “This is really just the beginning of our journey. Our work to expand the project to Larkspur and to the northern cities of Windsor, Healdsburg, and Cloverdale continues. SMART is off to a great start.”

The California Transportation Foundation was established more than 30 years ago and is a leading charitable transportation organization in the state.

SMART began passenger rail service on August 25, 2017 and is the Bay Area’s newest transit system. SMART currently covers 43 miles, from Santa Rosa to San Rafael connecting the North Bay’s key transit hubs, education, employment, and retail centers. Construction of SMART’s Larkspur extension is underway and is slated to open by the end of 2019. SMART is also seeking funding for its extensions to Windsor, Healdsburg, and Cloverdale, to complete its 70-mile system.