Transportation Funds Unspent To Be Redistributed

from Friday's inbox:

The Obama Administration today announced that it won’t allow infrastructure funds to sit idle as a result of stalled earmark projects at a time when hundreds of thousands of construction workers are looking for work. U.S Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is making $29 million in unspent earmarks immediately available to Pennsylvania for projects that will create jobs and help improve transportation across the state.

These funds for Pennsylvania are included in a nationwide total of $473 million that is being turned back to all 50 states, the District and Puerto Rico.

 

“My administration will continue to do everything we can to put Americans back to work,” said President Barack Obama. “We’re not going to let politics stand between construction workers and good jobs repairing our roads and bridges.”

 

“We’re releasing these funds so Pennsylvania can get down to the business of moving transportation projects forward and putting our friends and neighbors back to work,” said Secretary LaHood. 

President Obama has vowed to veto any bill that comes to his desk with earmarks and would support legislation to permanently ban earmarks. But $473 million in highway earmarks from FY2003-2006 appropriations acts remain unspent years later. Those acts contain provisions that authorize the Secretary to make the unused funds available for eligible surface transportation projects.  Effective today, state departments of transportation will have the ability to use their unspent earmarked highway funds, some of which are nearly 10 years old, on any eligible highway, transit, passenger rail, or port project.

 

All states must identify the projects they plan to use the funds for by October 1, and must obligate them by December 31, 2012.

Projects from Pennsylvania on the list are:

Delaware River Port Authority--Ben Franklin Bridge, Pennsylvania
Downtown Butler Cityscape Project (PA)
Frazer Township Interchange, Pennsylvania
Improve access to the Pennsylvania Correctional Institute near Brownsville, PA
Logan Square Access and Safety Improvements, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
PCDC Bus-stop Related Facility Enhancements
Streetscape/Roadway Improvements to the Chester City (PA) Waterfront
Susquehanna Road/Limekin Road/Norfork Southern Bridge project, Pennsylvania
26th Street Extension - Philadelphia Naval Business Center, Pennsylvania
Alle-Kiski Connector Bridge, Pennsylvania
Connector Road between the newly relocated State Route 1045 and Saint Vincent College, Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Donald Lane/Industrial Park Road/Elton Road Improvement, Pennsylvania
I-81 Rebuild/Expansion, Pennsylvania
North Delaware River Road, Pennsylvania
Roaring Springs Retaining Wall, Pennsylvania
State Route 30/981 Upgrade Project, Pennsylvania
U.S. Route 13 Corridor Redevelopment, Pennsylvania
West Philadelphia Streetscape/Gateway Improvements, Pennsylvania
Yannuzi Drive/Bradford Street, Bradford County, Pennsylvania
 GEARS Intelligent Transportation Systems, PA
Greater Nanticoke (Luzerne Co, PA) Connector Road, PA
I-79 Parkway West ramp construction and widening, PA
Main Street Extension Realignment, Freemansburg, PA
Navy Yard Reconstruction of Broad Street Quaywall, PA
PA-10 widening, New Morgan Borough, PA
Penn and Smallman Street Gateways Project, PA
Uniontown to Brownsville--Mon Fayette Expressway, PA

The full list for all states, with financial information is available at:  http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/pressroom/redisfy0306projects.htm