LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake Transit Authority has received a major grant award that will allow it to build a new transit hub and modernize its fleet with the purchase of new hydrogen buses.

Lake Transit received $13 million in grant funding through the state of California’s Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program, or TIRCP, to fund the construction of a new transit center and supporting infrastructure in the city of Clearlake.

“The grant program is extremely competitive and, historically, rural applicants have seen little success,” said Lake Transit Executive Director Lisa Davey-Bates.

The California State Transportation Agency said Tuesday it awarded $500 million to 17 recipients in TIRCP grants for transformative transit and rail projects.

“The $500 million in grant awards made today will increase transit service on new and existing routes, provide for a more integrated transit system, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and support jobs,” California State Transportation Agency Secretary David S. Kim said Tuesday. “Although the current COVID-19 pandemic is putting tremendous stress on transit agencies, these funds support long-term capital projects to be completed in the years to come, and will help support the economic recovery in the years ahead.”

The TIRCP was created by Senate Bill 862 to provide grants from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to fund transformative capital improvements that will modernize California’s transit systems and significantly reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, vehicle miles traveled and congestion, Lake Transit reported.

The transit hub is proposed to be built on a portion of county-owned property at 7175 South Center Drive in Clearlake, near the Clearlake courthouse and the Lake County Campus of Woodland Community College. Its current bus depot is located in the parking lot between Big 5 and Walmart.

At its Jan. 14 meeting, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a resolution declaring its South Center Drive property as surplus and authorizing the sale of a portion of the land to Lake Transit for its new hub, as Lake County News has reported.

The board passed the resolution to help Lake Transit access the TIRCP grant funding, and also sent a letter in support of Lake Transit’s grant application. Lake Transit applied for the grant that same week.

Lake Transit was among 45 other transit agencies across the state that applied for a total of $2.45 billion in TIRCP funding, according to a February list of applications published online by the California State Transportation Agency.

In its application for the funding, Lake Transit sought approximately $12,994,264 for the project and received the entire amount.

The grant will fund the new transit center’s construction, along with four zero-emission buses, and fueling and maintenance infrastructure at its Lower Lake operations facility. It also will provide funding for workforce development in coordination with local community colleges, Lake Transit said.

The buses will use hydrogen fuel cell technology in order to allow extended range services to be operated, contributing to increased ridership, according to the award announcement.

Lake Transit said the project will expand service to out-of-county destinations and provide a new connection to the North State Intercity Bus System, which received a 2018 TIRCP award for $8.6 million, according to state records.

The North State Intercity Bus System’s 2018 grant was submitted by the Shasta Regional Transportation Agency in cooperation with the North State Super Region, an alliance of 16 northern California counties that includes Lake County.

That system is meant to provide transportation between Redding and Sacramento, and will create more efficient bus routes, improve safety and security for riders, and increase ridership.

Through the North State Intercity Bus System, Lake Transit will travel to out-of-county destinations, including the Sonoma County Airport and the Santa Rosa Bus Terminal in downtown Santa Rosa, as well as to locations in the north, including Shasta County.

Lake Transit said its transit hub project is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2020 – once the grant funds become available – and is anticipated to take several years to complete. Project updates will be available on the Lake Transit Authority website.

Lakeport City Councilwoman Stacey Mattina, also a member of the Lake Area Planning Council Board of Directors, reported the grant award during the city council’s Tuesday evening meeting.

Mattina congratulated Davey-Bates and her staff.

“It’s going to be a big deal for the county,” Mattina said of the transit project.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.