TriMet is getting nearly $40 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation to buy new zero-emission buses to serve a revamped east Portland route.

The announcement Tuesday says the funding will “lay the foundation” for another TriMet Frequent Express line along 82nd Avenue, similar to the one serving a Division Street route since 2022.

The grant will pay for fuel cell electric buses to serve the new route, as well as new facilities to fuel and maintain them.

Both projects are at times referred to as “bus rapid transit,” a type of bus line marked by more frequent, typically higher-capacity buses that use dedicated lanes and are prioritized at traffic signals.

The FX2-Division route between downtown Portland and Gresham does use traffic signal priority and extra-long buses but doesn’t have dedicated bus lanes in many spots.

TriMet says all its fixed-routes, including its Division buses, use biodiesel fuel, a more sustainable option than traditional diesel. The transit agency says that has reduced emissions by 70% compared to the fuel it used before 2022.

Metro says Line 72, which runs along 82nd Avenue, has the highest ridership of any Portland bus line — more even than the Yellow or Orange MAX lines. But it says one in four buses is late, frequently delayed by traffic.

The road runs through one of the most racially diverse areas in Portland, including the Jade District.

TriMet expects its high-capacity replacement will be completed by 2029.

The funding comes after the Transportation Department awarded $24 million earlier this month toward more zero-emission buses, advancing TriMet’s goal of a zero-emission fleet by 2040. The Federal Transit Administration also granted the project $630,000 last year.

Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., took Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg to tour the avenue last year.

Eighty-second Avenue is also the focus of $185 million in Portland Bureau of Transportation construction designed to make the road safer, starting this summer and lasting to 2026. That means more medians, street lighting, wider sidewalks and tree plantings, among other improvements.

— Andrew Miller covers business news. Reach him at amiller@oregonian.com or 971-803-2954.