The U.S. Dept. of Transportation is changing the criteria it uses to evaluate which new transit projects it will fund. Industry officials say the shift is likely to give a boost to streetcar and urban light-rail projects in the competition for federal money, but other options, such as bus rapid transit, will still be in the game.

In unveiling the shift on Jan. 13, DOT Secretary Ray LaHood said the Federal Transit Administration now will consider a project’s environmental and economic-development benefits along with congestion-relieving features. LaHood said, “We want to base our decisions on how much transit helps the environment, how much it improves development opportunities, and how it makes our communities better places to live.”