Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART) officials found out yesterday that state money is off the table for a proposed bus rapid transit (BRT) line.

An infrastructure bill in the Iowa Legislature included a proposed $2 million grant for the BRT line, but that provision didn’t make it through a conference committee.

“It’s a slight setback, but the project is a good project and one DART is committed to and the community is committed to, as evidenced through the commitments we’ve gotten so far in the private sector,” DART General Manager Elizabeth Presutti said. 

DART is trying to raise $5 million in local funds to leverage a $20 million federal match. It has already received $1 million from the city of Des Moines, and smaller donations from other sources, including a $300,000 grant from Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co., $100,000 from Polk County and $100,000 from the Greater Des Moines Public Art Foundation.

“We’ll probably work with our stakeholders to see what are some other options,” Presutti said. “We’ll be looking at all different types of options to make it work.”

Including, possibly, more business involvement.

“I think that is definitely an option,” Presutti said. “We still have a lot of asks out to the private sector.”

For more information on BRT and the proposed line, click here.