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The Federal Transit Administration on Thursday officially awarded TriMet $87.4 million in funding for the Division Transit Project.

The project is intended to create new, high-capacity bus service between downtown Portland and Gresham. New, 60-foot-long articulated buses will serve the route, which TriMet hopes will reduce travel times up to 20 percent over current options.

The project budget is $175 million 鈥� half will come from the federal government and the rest from local sources, including $40.7 million from TriMet and $17.7 million from the city of Portland.

鈥淭he Division Transit Project will not just improve public transit; it will deliver vital pedestrian and biking improvements, prioritize accessibility, and make Division safer for all Portlanders,鈥� Portland City Commissioner Chloe Eudaly said at a media event on Thursday morning.

The contract awarded to Raimore Construction, the project’s general contractor, is the largest ever given in Oregon to a minority-owned firm or disadvantaged business enterprise.

Construction is scheduled to begin in coming weeks on up to 42 new bus stations in four different configurations as well as 28 blocks of dedicated bus/business access lanes at key locations, including an 11-block stretch between Southeast 111th and 122nd avenues.

Traffic and pedestrian signals and lighting along the route will be upgraded with transit signal priority, and 4.5 miles of protected bicycle lanes will be constructed.

Twenty new marked crosswalks with stop lights, median islands or flashing lights will be installed along with improvements to existing pedestrian crossing signals.

Finally, around 81,000 square feet of new sidewalks 鈥� 59,000 square feet in Portland and 22,000 square feet in Gresham 鈥� will be built along the corridor.

The project also is anticipated to generate more than 1,400 jobs, including 650 construction jobs.