Notice of Proposed Buy America Waiver for Ultrastraight Rail

Résumé

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) received a request from the Central Puget Sound Transit Authority (Sound Transit) for a Buy America non-availability waiver for the procurement of ultrastraight rail. Sound Transit seeks to procure ultrastraight rail for a portion of its Northgate Link light rail extension to avoid exceedance of contractually-mandated vibration thresholds. Sound Transit seeks a waiver because there is no domestic manufacturer available to produce rail that has passed the applicable vibration testing standards. In accordance with 49 U.S.C. 5323(j)(3)(A), FTA is providing notice of the waiver request and seeks public comment before deciding whether to grant the request. If granted, the waiver would apply to a one-time FTA-funded procurement by Sound Transit.