Infrastructure Modernization is Key to Economic Success

• The Department of Transportation projects that, compared to tonnages recorded in 2001, total freight moved through U.S. ports would increase by more than 50 percent by 2020 and the volume of international container traffic will more than double. This increasingly will require a major investment in infrastructure and modernization at the nation’s ports.
• To modernize their facilities, it is estimated that ports will require $8.6 billion by 2010 for infrastructure investments. Why is this important? U.S. ports contribute significant benefits to local and regional economies, including generating business development and job opportunities. Commercial port activities create more than 15 million American jobs, including nearly 12 million who are employed in exporter/importer-related businesses and support industries throughout the U.S. Business activities related to waterborne commerce contributed approximately $3.15 trillion overall to the U.S. economy. And those same businesses paid nearly $212.5 billion in federal, state and local taxes.
• And how much of the Obama Recovery Act has been dedicated by Congress to upgrade port facilities? About $720 million, to modernize some ports that were built prior to World War II. That’s just not going to cut it!
• Investing in Interstate infrastructure
• Balance the need for international shipping against interstate shipping, and you see how much the U.S. economy depends on transportation. According to a recent study by the RAND corporation, the long-term efficiency and effectiveness of the U.S. freight transportation system is threatened by bottlenecks, inefficient use of some parts of the infrastructure components, vulnerability to disruptions, and crucial environmental and energy concerns.
• The U.S. freight transportation system moves about $40 billion worth of goods each day, with delays and uncertainty in the performance of the system translating into higher prices for consumers and reduced productivity. The study concludes that despite the global financial crisis, experts continue to estimate that there will be increased demand for freight transportation in the future, even as the capacity of the nation's highways, port and railroads are nearing their limits in key urban areas and transportation corridors.
• What’s the solution? The Obama administration has proposed an ambitious Infrastructure program to put Americans to work, but many people are skeptical that we’ll be able to match shovel-ready jobs with shovel-ready workers.
• Ignoring the infrastructure is like ignoring the nation’s future economic growth. To succeed and maintain our leadership, both require the investment of capital and brains.

Mar 10, 2010 Republicans claim 'political retribution' on road plan (Lexington Herald-Leader) ...pass House Bill 292. Republican lawmakers complained during a debate that many road and bridge projects in their districts were yanked from the plan, particularly those involving federal stimulus funds, as punishment for their voting against the Democratic leadership's $371 million...    more...  

Mar 10, 2010 No backup plan if I-80 tolls rejected (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) Biehler warned. People often ask if the state has a backup plan to generate transportation funding if the I-80 tolls aren't approved by the Federal Highway Administration, said Rep. Joe Markosek, D-Monroeville, head of the state House Transportation Committee. "There is no plan B," Mr. Markosek...    more...  

Mar 10, 2010 Mica (The Bradenton Herald) Vern Buchanan, a Sarasota Republican who also sits on the committee.    more...  

Mar 10, 2010 Critics blast Metro's $2.6 billion bond plan (Houston Chronicle) In June 2009, Metro also issued $200 million in debt from the $640 million pool. The East End Line is being paid for entirely with Metro funds.    more...  

Mar 10, 2010 EDITORIAL: Eye on the prize (Houston Chronicle) Wilson and Metro Chairman David Wolff say poor job performance, including mismanagement of subordinates, led to an investigation and her termination. They released a report by the Metro employee advocacy officer calling for Higgins' firing more than a month before Kelley filed his open records...    more...  

Mar 10, 2010 Leaning toward light rail system (Tampa Tribune) The sad part is all we have is roads. We barely have a functioning bus system. At some point we have to do something.    more...  

Mar 9, 2010 Board bets on Rocky Reach trail extension (The Wenatchee World) Wenatchee Valley Transportation Council board has named the Rocky Reach trail extension as its No. 1 pick to compete statewide for federal money. The state Department of Transportation allocated $3 million for an enhancement, or non-traditional highway project, from the Wenatchee Valley, said...    more...  

Mar 9, 2010 Transportation issues highlight New Tampa political forum (Tampa Tribune) Candidates for council districts 1, 2 and 3 run citywide.    more...  

Mar 9, 2010 Highway projects in Kansas counties hit by budget cuts (The Joplin Globe) Savings: $384,000. -- Overlay of nearly six miles of Kansas 47 east from the city limits of Girard to U.S. Highway 69. Savings: $643,000. -- Overlay of 12.5 miles of Kansas 47 from the Neosho-Crawford county line east to the city limits of Girard. Savings: $751,000. -- Overlay of 4.85 miles of...    more...  

Mar 9, 2010 ConnDOT 'balances' spending (The Hour) ...transportation plans. This is the second annual report released by TSTC regarding ConnDOT spending. "For the first time since 2002, ConnDOT is spending more on maintenance and repair of its existing road and bridge infrastructure than it is spending on highway expansion projects," Slevin...    more...  

Mar 9, 2010 Keokuk mulls $500,000 offer for railroad bridge (The Hawk Eye) It gets us started in Keokuk, and it gives us a viable tenant in the Keokuk Junction. Neither the city nor Pacific Rim would be able to touch the $3.2 million for 10 years, but the interest from the account would be used for bridge upkeep. At the end of the 10 years the $3.2 million would revert...    more...  

Mar 9, 2010 Panel OKs $3.4 billion highway budget (Lexington Herald-Leader) Bob DeWeese, R-Louisville, asked the committee to adjourn for a few hours to give members more time to digest the legislation and the changes the House had made to Beshear's proposal. Beshear's proposal included about $101 million for actual construction. The remaining money was for buying land,...    more...  

Mar 9, 2010 High Five project to connect Dallas trails to northern neighbors (The Dallas Morning News) ...north or south. But thanks to a $4.2 million project, the High Five's days as a trail obstacle are about to end. Two path sections under the High Five, connecting the Cottonwood Trail, are scheduled to open in May, weather permitting. "For anyone wanting to travel by bike or walking long...    more...  

Mar 9, 2010 Asotin County trying to find Ten Mile Bridge project funds (Lewiston Morning Tribune) His strategy calls for utilizing funds from the county's surface transportation program. Washington allocates annual federal funds to each county based on a formula.    more...  

Mar 9, 2010 Light-rail alignments divide community (The Columbian) Light rail would run from downtown Portland to Clark College, bringing northbound traffic up Columbia Street and southbound down Washington Street, before putting both eastbound and westbound trains on either McLoughlin Boulevard or 17th Street. The east-west alignment has left professional...    more...  

Mar 9, 2010 18th Avenue to get new look: Roundabouts, Repaving (The Olympian) The house would be too close to one of the planned roundabouts.    more...  

Mar 9, 2010 Panel OKs $3.4 billion highway budget: Republicans complain about projects left out of bill (Lexington Herald-Leader) Bob DeWeese, R-Louisville, asked the committee adjourn for a few hours to give members more time to digest the legislation and the changes the House had made to Beshear's proposal. Beshear's proposal included about $101 million for actual construction. The remaining money was for buying land,...    more...  

Mar 9, 2010 EDITORIAL (Bangor Daily News) Susan Collins asked U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood about the railroad during a Senate hearing. MMA is earning about $20,000 on these lines. The only way to earn more is to get more companies shipping more freight on these lines.    more...  

Mar 9, 2010 Toll option may get Southern route built in Horry County (The Sun News) Barbee said the DOT has received a little more than $200,000 to start the environmental impact study, but several million is still needed to complete that process.    more...  

Mar 9, 2010 Smog-cutting status reviewed (The Charlotte Observer) ...impact emissions. Steinman said no rapid transit project or highway has any significant impact on the city meeting its pollution goals. He said cars that emit fewer smog-producing pollutants will be responsible for the area's ozone reductions -- not a single transit project or highway. The...    more...  

Mar 9, 2010 Mica (Tampa Tribune) Send me any of the study dollars (for transit connections) you need over six years. Among insights Mica offered: -- Consider using joint corridors for different types of trains.    more...  

Mar 8, 2010 U.S. 41 construction plans set (The Post-Crescent) ...highway project ever undertaken in northeast Wisconsin. The work in Winnebago County will cost $500 million. It will widen the highway from four to six or eight lanes and include improvements to seven interchanges: Breezewood, State 76, U.S. 45, State 21, Ninth Avenue, State 44 and State 26....    more...  

Mar 8, 2010 High-speed rail still has many challenges to overcome, supporters say (St. Petersburg Times) However, even Siemens and other possible contractors are skeptical of those numbers. The national political mood provides another "cloud," consultants told the audience. As gas prices dipped, so did interest in using rail instead of planes or cars, polling showed.    more...  

Mar 8, 2010 Orlando conference identifies high-speed rail's success factors (The Ledger) Kehs of Hill and Knowlton, a public relations company that has been hired by the US High Speed Rail Association. Although the project has a lot of things going for it, Kehs said, very little is really known about the public's support. Superficially there appears to be support, but one of the...    more...  

Mar 8, 2010 BRIEF: Public can offer opinions about proposed Sacramento RT cuts today (The Sacramento Bee) Service reductions would take effect June 20. Officials are not making recommendations until the public and the RT board are heard.    more...  

Mar 8, 2010 Jobs bill passes House (The Evening News and The Tribune) Larry Mishel, president of the Economic Policy Institute. Meanwhile, Hill pointed to the announcement this week of major rural Internet connection project in Southern Indiana as a sign stimulus dollars are spurring the economy. Sunman Telecommunications, Inc. received stimulus money to...    more...  

Mar 8, 2010 Greenville board pushes to improve Route 15 (Bangor Daily News) The form letter asked for the board's signatures to allow a contractor to bring in any equipment, if needed, that might be overweight on local road standards.    more...  

Mar 8, 2010 Regional group looking at consulting costs (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) Verbanac, a former aide to the late Sen. Peduto said the SPC doesn't need anyone in Mr. Verbanac said he is not a lobbyist, SPC is not allowed to lobby, and Mr.    more...  

Mar 8, 2010 City officials (Connecticut Post) He completed the Birmingham Condominiums in the former Birmingham Corset factory on the corner of Bridge and Canal streets just before the recession hit.    more...  

Mar 8, 2010 Cities not on track with Calif high-speed rail (Associated Press Online) As envisioned, the segment would carry passengers from Anaheim north to downtown Los Angeles in 20 minutes -- a trip that usually take more than an hour in freeway traffic. In 2008, state voters approved the sale of $10 billion in bonds to help build the 800-mile system.    more...  

Mar 8, 2010 Connecticut DOT To Pitch $50 Million Resurfacing Project, Plus Bridge Repairs (The Hartford Courant) Hartford and West Hartford that will be resurfaced runs from Mayflower Street to Sigourney Street. The three longest stretches scheduled for repair are 8.5 miles on Route 197 in Thompson, about 7.6 miles on Route 9 near Deep River and about 7 miles of I-95 in the Greenwich area. Other roads on...    more...  

Mar 8, 2010 Recent $237,000 In Transportation Funding Part Of A $152 Million Award (The Hartford Courant) ...state legislator on Friday called the grant "disappointing and disheartening," and The Courant on Saturday described the award as part of a competitive program. But on Saturday, state Transportation Commissioner Joseph Marie called the news reports "misleading," and praised the state's record...    more...  

Mar 7, 2010 Las Vegas Review-Journal Adrienne Packer column: ROAD WARRIOR (Las Vegas Review-Journal) Bus stops are described as ticket stations. We're accustomed to pretty much faux-everything in Las Vegas. And with this economy, they have more flexibility with ACE than other cities dabbling with light rail. The Phoenix light-rail system cost about $70 million per mile; in Seattle it was $100...    more...  

Mar 7, 2010 CITturnergaag (Sun Journal (Lewiston, Maine)) Up next: AVCOG will submit the project request to MDOT. Recycling center The issue: New equipment is needed for the recycling center. The scoop: The board reviewed proposals for increasing the efficiency of the center. Up next: Containers will be rearranged, and the old compactor used to pack...    more...  

Mar 7, 2010 New bus line sees dismal ridership (The Herald (Rock Hill, S.C.)) The Hemphills had plenty of room to stretch. They were the only passengers. Since the Hemphills started riding the 78X Celanese Express, they've gotten used to having the 5:40 p.m. bus to themselves. Felicia takes the bus into Charlotte, where her two children get off and go to private school.    more...  

Mar 7, 2010 Impact-fee suspension a boon to projects in the works (The Orlando Sentinel) Lalbahadur Nagabhairu for a surgical center in Tavares. --$55,688.74 owed by Dr. Michael Habashy for a new medical office in Lady Lake. --$13,653.50 owed by Dr.    more...  

Mar 7, 2010 EDITORIAL: Connect the rail lines (The Orlando Sentinel) And they'd be able to connect to high-speed rail at the airport or south of Sand Lake Road. It would add a sixth, high-speed rail stop. Too many stops defeat the whole point of "high-speed." What's not an option is failing to connect SunRail and high-speed rail.    more...  

Mar 7, 2010 QandA (The Macon Telegraph) Eighty-five percent of it went to supplant state salaries. But you in the House voted for Medicare Part D, all of the war supplemental funding bills, and both Bush tax cuts. I offered a lot of amendments when we did the markup in the Russell (Senate Office) Building.    more...  

Mar 7, 2010 Western Pennsylvania counting on census for crucial funding (The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) In 2000, about 72 percent of the population mailed back census forms. Results factor greatly into how $400 billion in federal funding is divvied for schools, hospitals and transportation projects. It is key in apportioning seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and redistricting state...    more...  

Mar 7, 2010 EDITORIAL: Note to critics: Roads, freeways subsidized, too (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) The Milwaukee-Madison connection has intrinsic value, but it will have more value as part of a route that eventually links Chicago to the Twin Cities and points in between. Service on the Milwaukee-Madison route would start with six round trips at 79 mph in 2013, increasing to 110 mph in 2015....    more...  

Mar 7, 2010 EDITORIAL (Fort Worth Star-Telegram) UP finally agreed last year to a $95 million bridge and yard alterations. A 10-ramp I-20/Southwest Parkway/Southwest Boulevard monster mixmaster has been temporarily downsized to six ramps.    more...  

Mar 6, 2010 Joint budget committee OKs $12 million in new bonding authority for Transportation agency (Lewiston Morning Tribune) Frank Henderson of Post Falls, whose district abuts the Garwood-Sagle segment, proposed the decrease. It generates cash through bond sales, which are then paid back with future federal highway payments.    more...  

Mar 6, 2010 Norwich transportation center funded (The Day) The project, called the intermodal transportation center, includes a three-story parking garage and a main commuter bus terminal for Southeast Area Transit. The bid opening will take place at 2 p.m. that day at the Holiday Inn.    more...  

Mar 6, 2010 Maine delegation rallies to save railroad tracks (Bangor Daily News) Mike Michaud of Maine's 2nd District wrote a letter Thursday co-signed by Rep. Olympia J. Snowe, R-Maine, said she also is working to save the lines. He said several rail operators have expressed interest in running the freight lines, including MMA. Gov.    more...  

Mar 6, 2010 Pair of desert projects get $15 million in funding (San Bernardino County Sun) ...million in funding from the San Bernardino Associated Governments (Sanbag), the county's transportation planning agency. On Wednesday, the Sanbag board earmarked $7.5 million in surface transportation funds for the La Mesa/Nisqualli interchange on the 15 Freeway in Victorville and another...    more...  

Mar 6, 2010 BRIEF (The Baltimore Sun) ...improvements ranging from buses in rural areas to better speakers at MARC stations, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced Friday. According to the U.S. Transportation Department, the Maryland Transit Administration will receive the following grants: -- $17.1 million toward...    more...  

Mar 6, 2010 Williston Park to get 1st repaving in more than decade (Newsday) Gary Ackerman (D-Roslyn Heights) secured $1 million in federal transportation funds for the village to repave roadways. The village received $97,000, but the state DOT, citing fiscal problems, would not release the remainder, Ackerman said. Ackerman said he learned from state Sen.    more...  

Mar 6, 2010 Gov. Brad Henry OKs bills to put budget deal into action (The Daily Oklahoman) Michael McNutt Mar. 6, 2010 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- Gov. Brad Henry quietly signed bills Friday that complete a budget agreement that takes care of a nearly $300 million projected deficit at the end of this fiscal year. The across-the-board cuts were necessary...    more...  

Mar 6, 2010 State transportation money still elusive (The Macon Telegraph) ...penny sales taxes to pay for projects in 12 regions across the state. Counties would be bound together, come up with a list of projects, then hold a regional referendum to ask voters whether they're willing to pay for those projects with an extra penny tax. That plan, contained in House Bill...    more...  

Mar 6, 2010 Kansas cancels big highway projects amid budget crisis (The Kansas City Star) Some said they would have preferred reductions in school funding. Others said canceling highway repair now just delays the inevitable. "This sows the seeds of a bigger crisis in the highway fund," said Sen. Jeff Colyer, an Overland Park Republican. "We're still going to have to do those...    more...  

Mar 6, 2010 Connecticut Receives $238,000 In Funds For Transit Projects (The Hartford Courant) Donald DeFronzo, co-chairman of the General Assembly's transportation committee. "I see this as disappointing and disheartening. About 40 states got a share; Connecticut wasn't excluded this time, but finished almost at the bottom of the list of winners. Only Alaska, which received $140,000 to...    more...  

Mar 6, 2010 Tri-Valley, East County transportation projects to receive grant funds (Tri-Valley Herald) ...patrons. LAVTA, which serves the Tri-Valley area, including Dublin, Livermore and Pleasanton, operates a bus system that makes more than 2 million trips each year. The Eastern Contra Costa Transit Authority (ECCTA), which serves areas of Contra Costa County with bus transportation, will...    more...  

Mar 5, 2010 NCDC ready to bid $22 million regional transportation center (The Day) Most large transportation projects are bid to huge general contractors -- many of which are from out of state with their own subcontractor arrangements. The bid opening will take place at that time at the Holiday Inn in Norwich.    more...  

Mar 5, 2010 N.J. Transit Seeks Raise in Its Fares (New York Times) TRENTON (AP) — Bus and rail commuters may soon be digging deeper to ride New Jersey Transit. Seven weekday trains would be cut from the Morris and Essex lines to Hoboken — partly because ridership has declined faster than ridership to New York. Weinstein said that service would also be cut on...    more...  

Mar 5, 2010 DFW Connector project (Fort Worth Star-Telegram) The free was spelled out in NorthGate's contract with the Texas Transportation Department. Instead, NorthGate plans to limit lane closures to nights and weekends, deputy project director Rob Anderson said.    more...  

Mar 5, 2010 State Gets A Disappointing $238,000 In Federal Transit Funds (The Hartford Courant) Donald DeFronzo, co-chairman of the General Assembly's transportation committee. "I see this as disappointing and disheartening. About 40 states got a share; Connecticut wasn't excluded this time, but finished almost at the bottom of the list of winners. Only Alaska, which received $140,000 to...    more...  

Mar 5, 2010 Bridge tolls could start in 2013 (The Evening News and The Tribune) Sherman Minton and the new bridges when each is completed. Scenario two would allow for no tolls on the I-64 -- Sherman Minton Bridge -- early tolling on the I-65 -- Kennedy Bridge -- and tolling on the new bridges in the years they open. An alternative to the second plan would again have no...    more...  

Mar 5, 2010 Groups try to reduce sediment flowing into St. Joseph River (The Herald-Palladium) JOSEPH -- While the Army Corps of Engineers is awarding contracts for spring dredging of the St. Joseph River Harbor Authority was told Thursday. Marcy Colclough, senior planner at the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission, and Matt Meersman, president of the nonprofit Friends of the St. Joe...    more...  

Mar 5, 2010 New Jersey Transit Seeks Higher Fares (New York Times) Bus and light rail customers will also be affected by service reductions. Three bus routes operated by NJ Transit will be discontinued, as will several local routes operated by private carriers. Light rail customers will see service frequency reductions.    more...  

Mar 5, 2010 NJ Transit announces fare hikes, service cuts (Associated Press Online) The agency also had its state subsidy cut by 11 percent -- a drop of about $33 million. Three bus routes operated by NJ Transit will be discontinued, as will several local routes operated by private carriers.    more...  

Mar 5, 2010 Lacey might become transportation tax partner (The Olympian) The county's interest in forming a district comes as available sources of revenue for such projects are drying up. Some vehicles, including recreational and all-terrain, are exempt from the fee. It began collecting the $20 vehicle fee in October.    more...  

Mar 5, 2010 EDITORIAL (The Virginian-Pilot) How much should it pay him to sort out a financial mess caused by too little attention and too little oversight? But it's also worth noting that Shucet has far more than a paycheck to lose if The Tide goes awry. Shucet has put his future on this light rail line. This is a man who spent years...    more...  

Mar 4, 2010 Bing (Detroit Free Press) Rail, the first 3.4 mile section of the rail line, has been largely funded with private investment from the Kresge Foundation, Detroit's Downtown Development Authority and wealthy business leaders including the Ilitch family, Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert and Compuware Corp. (NASDAQ:CPWR)...    more...  

Mar 4, 2010 City to eliminate BWI bus route (The Capital) ...city's bus system runs and suggest improvements. Barbara Rasin Price, a CTAA founder, said the organization will likely take stock of the city's transit systems and find frugal ways to improve them. "I kind of think of it as a transportation makeover," said Rasin Price, who was also...    more...  

Mar 4, 2010 Vancouver mayor in State of City speech says new bridge details prompt close examination (The Oregonian) Chris Gregoire seeking more local control in a replacement bridge design.    more...  

Mar 4, 2010 House passes tax breaks for new hires (Associated Press Online) That bill conspicuously left out the proposals to award tax credits for hiring new workers. The House amended the measure Thursday to conform with so-called pay-as-you-go budget rules that have become an article of faith among moderate Democrats. The $100 billion-plus bill would extend...    more...  

Mar 4, 2010 House passes jobs bill despite doubts (Associated Press Online) The measure passed 217-201 on a mostly party-line vote. That bill conspicuously left out the proposals to award tax credits for hiring new workers. The $100 billion-plus bill would extend unemployment assistance, revive a bevy of expired tax breaks, help states with soaring Medicaid costs and...    more...  

Mar 4, 2010 The Blade, Toledo, Ohio, Marilou Johanek column (The Blade) Marilou Johanek Mar. 4, 2010 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- I'M joining the Coffee Party. Talk about a timely rescue. The virtual coffee klatch is the brainchild of Annabel Park, a documentary filmmaker in Washington. People, it turns out, desperately want an...    more...  

Mar 4, 2010 Analyst urges 1,500 job cuts at Caltrans (The Sacramento Bee) The cumulative evidence from our review shows that the program is overstaffed and lacks strong management." LAO further concluded that Gov.    more...  

Mar 4, 2010 Back-seat Driver (The Sacramento Bee) It would be a commute route into downtown, heading west from a new interchange on the Capital City Freeway just south of the American River. The key is not to make the fees onerous." The fees, if enacted, will vary.    more...  

Mar 4, 2010 St. Petersburg Times, Fla., Robert Trigaux column: Area auto sales sluggish compared to the national numbers (St. Petersburg Times) Hillsborough sales dropped 7.2 percent, and Pinellas fell 13.8 percent. The number of new vehicle sales in that county dropped to 96 from 181 in January '09 -- a 47 percent decrease. January sales at major Toyota dealerships were strong. And you won't find the book on Amazon.    more...  

Mar 4, 2010 Bellevue preparing to revise preferred route for southern light rail (Seattle Post Intelligencer) Bellevue City Council took pivotal action Monday on the issue of light rail, calling for city staff to draft a letter that would change its preferred alternative for South Bellevue.Last year, the council chose a South Bellevue route known as B3 Modified, which would place East Link along Bellevue...    more...  

Mar 4, 2010 House passes tax credit for hiring the jobless (Associated Press Online) It would exempt businesses hiring the unemployed from having to pay the 6.2 percent Social Security payroll tax. The House amended the measure Thursday to conform with so-called pay-as-you-go budget rules that have become an article of faith among moderate Democrats. First, it would exempt...    more...  

Mar 4, 2010 House to vote on tax breaks for new hires (Associated Press Online) The House amended the measure Thursday to conform with so-called pay-as-you-go budget rules that have become an article of faith among moderate Democrats. The $100 billion-plus bill would extend unemployment assistance, revive a bevy of expired tax breaks, help states with soaring Medicaid costs...    more...  

Mar 4, 2010 JFAC passes trimmed budget (The Times-News) Jim Patrick, R-Twin Falls. Democrats also made a failed motion that floated the idea of freezing the grocery tax credit expansion to generate more funding for schools. No Republicans supported it. Rep. Wendy Jaquet, D-Ketchum, said she is fearful the school budget will lead to property tax...    more...  

Mar 4, 2010 City's road stimulus share nears $3 million (High Point Enterprise) ...stimulus projects funded through the High Point Metropolitan Planning Organization, a regional transportation group, for the Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation, Guilford County and Davidson County. The city also has benefited from N.C. Department of Transportation resurfacing...    more...  

Mar 4, 2010 OPINION: High-speed rail (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) Already, high-speed rail advocates are complaining, correctly, that 110 mph is lumbering by Eurostandards. The tracks to Madison also carry freight, but no country runs bullet trains on the same tracks as freight trains. Joseph Schwieterman, a transportation scholar at De Paul University, has...    more...  

Mar 4, 2010 DFW Connector project (Fort Worth Star-Telegram) The free was spelled out in NorthGate's contract with the Texas Transportation Department. Instead, NorthGate plans to limit lane closures to nights and weekends, deputy project director Rob Anderson said.    more...  

Mar 4, 2010 Get used to the gridlock (The Virginian-Pilot) ...monies." Layne said the state will need to seek more public-private partnerships to build roads -- partnerships that generally require tolls -- and to consider more transit options such as light rail, bus rapid transit and high-speed rail, for which there's federal funding. The grim...    more...  

Mar 3, 2010 Idaho public schools budget set, includes massive cut (The Idaho Statesman) In fiscal year 2010, which ends June 30, public education received $1.71 billion. Wendy Jacquet and Shirley Ringo -- voted against the public educations budgets affecting administrators, teachers and operations. Janice McGeachin, R-Idaho Falls. Rep.    more...  

Mar 3, 2010 Contract awarded for Telegraph Pass project (The Yuma Daily Sun) ...of Transportation project to R.E. Monks Construction of Fountain Hills, which had the low bid of $2.08 million. Nine bids were submitted, none from the Yuma area. ADOT had estimated the cost of the project at $2.58 million. The project is from Milepost 15 to Milepost 21 at Telegraph Pass....    more...  

Mar 3, 2010 Iris Avenue to close this weekend for construction (Daily Camera) The 208 bus route will be redirected to a nearby detour.    more...  

Mar 3, 2010 Full steam ahead? (Zionsville Times Sentinel) Some people were upset, but it's critical that we have this discussion." Estimates on the total project's cost are as high as $6.7 billion. I like the idea of a bus connecting into a light rail.    more...  

Mar 3, 2010 City officials (Connecticut Post) He completed the Birmingham Condominiums in the former Birmingham Corset factory on the corner of Bridge and Canal street just before the recession hit.    more...  

Mar 3, 2010 House could vote Thursday on jobs bill (The Hill) House leaders have since pledged to find a way to offset that cost, said Rep. Baron Hill (D-Ind.), a senior Blue Dog.    more...  

Mar 3, 2010 Debt may lead to toll hikes (The Capital) E.J. Pipkin, R-Elkton, John Astle, D-Annapolis, and Del.    more...  

Mar 3, 2010 Idaho public schools budget set, includes first-ever cut in total funds (The Idaho Statesman) Wendy Jacquet and Shirley Ringo -- voted against the public educations budgets affecting administrators, teachers and operations. School districts have been in favor of additional discretion since the beginning of the session. "I'm not comfortable with this budget either. Janice McGeachin,...    more...  

Mar 3, 2010 Rail corridor talks continue (Kokomo Tribune) ... The Indiana Trails Fund used rail banking to preserve the Nickel Plate rail corridor from Cassville to Rochester, ensuring sections of the corridor wouldn't be made available for sale to the adjoining property owners. After the federal Surface Transportation Board ordered the unused line...    more...  

Mar 3, 2010 Bunning filibuster ends, jobless benefits will be extended (The Hill) J. Taylor RushingThe Senate late Tuesday ended Sen. The vote came after an unsuccessful, 43-53 vote on a substitute amendment by Bunning.The 19 ‘no’ votes included GOP Sens. The Kentucky Republican said he blocked the benefits because he wanted the bill funded by unspent stimulus money.    more...  

Mar 3, 2010 2 toll-collection bills for 520 floating bridge pass House (The Seattle Times) Collection agencies, rather than the state courts, would collect the money, though motorists could appeal to a court. It would allow tolls to pay for projects in the entire corridor from Redmond to Interstate 5, instead of just the "floating bridge and necessary landings," as directed by earlier...    more...  

Mar 3, 2010 Construction of Texas Loop 49 segment 3B growing near (Tyler Morning Telegraph) Mobility Authority (NETRMA). Halbrooks gave an update on Loop 49 projects Thursday to the Tyler Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Policy Committee. He said segment 3B will be the last segment needed to connect the loop and access the interstate. The section of Loop 49, from Paluxy...    more...  

Mar 3, 2010 'Desperate' need for benefits (CNN) STORY HIGHLIGHTS * Atlanta father Joe Orr found out via e-mail that his unemployment benefits were ending * Sen. The Senate adjourned last week without approving extensions of cash and health insurance benefits for the unemployed after Sen. CNN's Ashley Fantz and Alan Silverleib contributed to...    more...  

Mar 3, 2010 Senate passes $10 billion jobless benefits measure (CNN) The original short-term extension of unemployment benefits needed unanimous consent to pass because Democrats have labeled it an emergency spending measure. These federal benefit weeks are divided into tiers, and the jobless must apply each time they move into a new tier. CNN's Ed Henry, Gloria...    more...  

Mar 3, 2010 Bunning backs off, jobless benefits OK'd (CNN) The original short-term extension of unemployment benefits needed unanimous consent to pass because Democrats have labeled it an emergency spending measure. Bunning's action created a political firestorm. The Nevada Democrat rejected Bunning's motions. "You have made your point ... [but] the...    more...  

Mar 3, 2010 Timing on transit tax eyed (The Herald-Sun) ...transit policy. Durham Mayor Bill Bell, however, said Tuesday he prefers the idea of using light rail throughout the system, to create what he termed "a seamless" experience for riders. Transit planners floated that as a possibility starting in the fall of 2008, when officials with the N.C....    more...  

Mar 3, 2010 Prattville council to support Complete Streets effort (Montgomery Advertiser) It is a common sight to see Miller, an avid runner, jogging around the city. "But our streets need to be accessible to pedestrians, walkers and public transit.    more...  

Mar 3, 2010 Federal stimulus money means jobs in Clermont, across America, vice president insists (The Orlando Sentinel) Among those on hand were Clermont Mayor Hal Turville and Lake County School Board Chairwoman Cindy Barrow.    more...  

Mar 3, 2010 Analyst urges 1,500 job cuts at Caltrans (The Sacramento Bee) The cumulative evidence from our review shows that the program is overstaffed and lacks strong management." LAO further concluded that Gov.    more...  

Mar 3, 2010 Commuters face backups on I-95 into downtown (The Baltimore Sun) Moss said the round-the-clock closure will let the utility finish the work more quickly than it otherwise could. Can we do it on weekends?" she said. Hein said he'll probably use a back-door route into downtown via Washington Boulevard.    more...  

Mar 3, 2010 Shelby-DeSoto corridor plan cruises with county's OK (The Commercial Appeal) Collierville and southeast Shelby County. The Houston Levee/Center Hill Corridor study, under way for about a year and half, came up with 14 potential routes or alignments, and the supervisors on Tuesday endorsed a further look at three alternatives. Two of the routes would travel south from...    more...  

Mar 3, 2010 OPINION: Bolton (The State) The county also agreed to cut the 2 cents on a dollar restaurant tax in half. Columbia spent years going around and around with SCANA in an attempt to reach an agreement to transfer the bus system to public hands. Smith said she hopes Columbia's officials are willing to help lead on.    more...  

Mar 2, 2010 Senate votes to revive programs after Bunning relents (McClatchy Washington Bureau) ...pleading for him to drop his objection.Tuesday evening, he did."I hope Senate Democrats tonight vote for their own pay-fors and show Americans that they are committed to fiscal discipline," Bunning said. "I will be watching them closely and checking off the hypocrites one by one."One of...    more...  

Mar 2, 2010 Under pressure, Bunning drops objection to extending jobless benefits (McClatchy Washington Bureau) He wanted the provisions paid for, but other senators said these were emergency measures and didn't need to be offset.The pressure steadily grew. The Senate can overcome his objection if 60 of its 100 members vote to do so. The majority of the Senate disagrees with you.    more...  

Mar 2, 2010 Neosho panel to take up question of more debt (The Joplin Globe) The council placed Blase on paid suspension effective Jan. 26, pending final steps to fire him.    more...  

Mar 2, 2010 Anger grows as Bunning rebuffs even GOP pleas on benefits bill (McClatchy Washington Bureau) The Senate can overcome his objection if 60 of its 100 members vote to do so. The majority of the Senate disagrees with you.    more...  

Mar 2, 2010 More than $150 million in construction at Newport Navy base (The Providence Journal) Projects worth more than $150 million began transforming the base last year and will continue through next year. The relocations will result in 17,500 students passing through Newport annually, an increase of nearly 90 percent from years ago. Close to 300 Rhode Island tradesmen are expected to be...    more...  

Mar 2, 2010 Coming Soon (Kitsap Sun) The cost is estimated at $70,000 to $150,000. Money from the federal Surface Transportation Program for rural projects had to be spent quickly or the county would forfeit it. There are only 22 all-electric cars in Kitsap County, according to the state Department of Licensing, and 12 of them are...    more...  

Mar 2, 2010 GOP's Bunning again blocks extension of jobless benefits (Los Angeles Times) Thousands of workers on federal transportation projects have been furloughed and 41 transportation projects around the country have been suspended.    more...  

Mar 2, 2010 GOP's Bunning continues one-man Senate filibuster (Los Angeles Times) Thousands of workers on federal transportation projects have been furloughed and 41 transportation projects around the country have been suspended.    more...  

Mar 2, 2010 Congressional spat shuts down highway funding (The Times) ...impasse over federal highway funding should not affect highway projects in Indiana unless the dispute becomes a prolonged one, according to the Indiana Department of Transportation. "What may happen if this becomes a protracted issue is an interruption in cash flow not just for Indiana but...    more...  

Mar 2, 2010 McDonnell considering two special sessions (Richmond Times-Dispatch) McDonnell said today that he could call two special sessions sometime this year to address transportation funding and government reforms. In an interview with reporters and editors at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, McDonnell said once the General Assembly session concludes, his administration will...    more...  

Mar 2, 2010 Lobbyists play critical role, NCTD says (North County Times) The lobbying firm, which has contracted with NCTD since 2002, represents both NCTD and the San Diego-based Metropolitan Transit System. Others are private corporations including General Motors, LLC. Campbell and NCTD executive director Matt Tucker praised Watts for his work.    more...  

Mar 2, 2010 EDITORIAL (Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal) The projects -- a resurfacing effort between Kosciusko and Ridgeland, and trail work near Ridgeland and Madison -- cannot go forward until funding is approved. Another project, in extreme southern Tennessee, for repaving touring roads and parking in Shiloh National Military Park, also has been...    more...  

Mar 2, 2010 Smokies road work halts (The Knoxville News-Sentinel) Lamar Alexander, R-Maryville, blamed Democrats for the work stoppage on the Cades Cove project. "The HIRE Act, which Sen.    more...  

Mar 2, 2010 Dems rip Bunning for blocking benefits (CNN) Jim Bunning, R-Kentucky, blocked the measure by insisting that Congress first pay for the $10 billion package. Jim Bunning says he doesn't want to add to the deficit. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, criticized Bunning's stance on the package.    more...  

Mar 2, 2010 Senator ripped for stalling jobs benefits (CNN) The Senate adjourned last week without approving extensions of cash and health insurance benefits for the unemployed after Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Kentucky, blocked the measure by insisting that Congress first pay for the $10 billion package. Jim Bunning says he doesn't want to add to the deficit.    more...  

Mar 2, 2010 DOT commissioner explains state's shutout in federal infrastructure grant applications (The Stamford Advocate) State Rep. Anthony "Tony" Guerrera, a co-chairman of the committee, asked Marie to send committee members a written summary of the DOT's meeting with federal transportation officials. DeFronzo said he was eager for additional information about the federal DOT's assessment of Connecticut's...    more...  

Mar 2, 2010 Bunning's Fiscal Hardball Jams Gop (Politico) Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) put it Monday.And Republicans who came to Bunning’s defense were a rarity. Representatives of senators in states that have seen furloughs, including Sens. Mike Castle (R-Del.) — also did not respond to inquiries seeking comment, and a spokeswoman for Rep.    more...  

Mar 2, 2010 The state of the speeches (Grand Forks Herald) For homeowners, that was 2.21 percent of their valuation and, for commercial property owners, it was 2.46 percent. For homeowners, that was 2.13 percent of valuation and, for commercial property owners, 2.36 percent. Result: Brown partnered with a nonprofit group to create a Web site where...    more...  

Mar 2, 2010 Marriage of transit, real estate development pressed (The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) Transit from Oakland to Downtown could be an extension of the light rail system, or an extension of a people-mover from Oakland through Uptown, the Hill District or the Second Avenue corridor. The county is seeking comments from developers through April, and will use those comments when asking...    more...  

Mar 1, 2010 BRIEF (Fort Worth Star-Telegram) Payments to federally funded highway and transit projects were also frozen after Sen.    more...  

Mar 1, 2010 Federal funding dispute stops work on Cades Cove Loop Road (The Knoxville News-Sentinel) Jim Bunning, R-Ky., blocking legislation last week.    more...  

Mar 1, 2010 2,000 transportation workers idled over impasse (Associated Press Online) It would extend funding for highway projects and spare doctors from a 21 percent cut in Medicare payments. Medicare payments to doctors would be cut by 21 percent, if Congress doesn't act. Most people already receiving extended unemployment benefits won't be affected by the impasse.    more...  

Mar 1, 2010 Pender leaders speak up on county's road needs (Star-News) Alford was appointed last month to replace Lanny Wilson, who resigned in January. Also Monday, the commissioners voted unanimously to support a construction contract at Trask High School in Rocky Point for a combination auditorium and auxiliary gymnasium. While they supported the award of the...    more...  

Mar 1, 2010 Tampa Tribune, Fla., Steve Otto column (Tampa Tribune) Steve Otto Mar. 1, 2010 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- Who cares if that's a cold March wind out there? It's so good for the economy. We've built so many jock palaces in recent years that we all should be driving Hummers home to our McMansions in Avila. A decade ago,...    more...  

Mar 1, 2010 Vice President Joe Biden tells groups of workers "we have come a long way" in a year (The Orlando Sentinel) ...union leaders said they wanted to hear about. "Jobs, jobs, jobs," said newly-elected AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, when asked what Biden needed to talk about to address concerns of this traditionally Democratic-friendly audience. And in introducing the vice president, Trumka put aside any...    more...  

Mar 1, 2010 Federal stimulus funds slow to take hold in Inland region (The Press-Enterprise) For most of the last year, Detroit has been the only metropolitan area with more jobless workers than Inland Southern California. Murphy estimated about two dozen workers were hired. "Does (the stimulus) create more jobs? My answer is that it keeps us from laying off people sooner," Murphy said....    more...  

Mar 1, 2010 Biden says he understands resentment over bailouts (Associated Press Online) Earlier in the day, the vice president told construction workers outside Orlando that federal stimulus spending is working. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. It will create between 20 and 50 jobs at different stages. It's no wonder they wonder about the Recovery Act, but guess what?    more...  

Mar 1, 2010 Vice President Joe Biden touts stimulus program at U.S. 27 widening site in Clermont (The Orlando Sentinel) Bill Nelson, D-Fla., and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in Clermont and later will speak in Orlando at the AFL-CIO executive council's winter meeting. Our funds are cut like anybody else's," said Downs, whose district spans Central Florida. "Road projects are good economic boosters.    more...  

Mar 1, 2010 The Kansas City Star, Mo., E. Thomas McClanahan column (The Kansas City Star) Then you think: The government went into debt, to fix sidewalks in Kansas City? Dennis Moore of Kansas. Those three are old hands. A lot of government workers will benefit, but the stimulus package offered little or nothing to boost economic growth.    more...  

Mar 1, 2010 Biden touts jobs created by stimulus in Florida (Associated Press Online) Too many people are in trouble in this country." Biden, who appeared with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Sen. It will create between 20 and 50 jobs at different stages. It's no wonder they wonder about the Recovery Act, but guess what?    more...  

Mar 1, 2010 Delegation to lobby D.C. for funding (The News-Gazette) Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, D-Fla., chairwoman of the railroads subcommittee, and U.S. Rep.    more...  

Mar 1, 2010 Kentucky senator blocks job extensions (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) Because passing the extensions required unanimous consent, Mr. The programs are designed to reduce traffic injuries and fatalities from distracted driving and improve child passenger and motorcycle safety. We are aiming for another $1.8 billion in highway and bridge contracts this calendar year.    more...  

Mar 1, 2010 Hamzy, Former GOP State Chairman, Endorses Hartford-To-Waterbury Rail Line (The Hartford Courant) Christopher Dodd support the busway, as does state Rep. Bristol prefers returning passenger trains to the lightly used rail line because that route goes directly past a 17-acre downtown property that's awaiting development. Train advocates warn that if the busway is built, it will forever block...    more...  

Mar 1, 2010 Dems Struggle With Jobs Agenda (Politico) But in the Senate, quick passage of popular unemployment benefits seems far less certain.Democrats were eager to blame the GOP for the holdup, pointing to Kentucky Sen. The powerful chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee opposed the mechanism in the Senate bill for...    more...  

Mar 1, 2010 Back-seat Driver (The Sacramento Bee) It would be a commute route into downtown, heading west from a new interchange on the Capital City Freeway just south of the American River. The key is not to make the fees onerous." The fees, if enacted, will vary.    more...  

Mar 1, 2010 Funds trickle in for missing link for Tri-State and I-57 (Chicago Tribune) But when I-57 was built in the late 1960s, no interchange was included. The tollway started drawing plans in 1993, said Rocco Zucchero, deputy chief of engineering. Over the years, the complexity and costs have grown. In 2006, officials estimated the interchange would cost $225 million. The...    more...  

Feb 28, 2010 Cat (Journal Star) A year ago there was a tremendous amount of economic uncertainty, and it was something we needed. He said Caterpillar estimated the amount of the $787 billion U.S. stimulus package enacted a year ago that would be spent on infrastructure would be about $70 billion.    more...  

Feb 28, 2010 La Junta library explores center for city's youth (The Pueblo Chieftain) The space is hardly differentiated for use by teens. "Our teen center here is pretty small. The carpet in the building will be replaced and wood floors will be refinished. "We are still looking at options with an architect.    more...  

Feb 28, 2010 Pennsylvania really needs federal government to approve tolls for I-80 (The Morning Call) The commission has been borrowing to make those transfers, hoping to be paid back partly by I-80 tolls. The transportation law, known as Act 44, authorized the commission to boost tolls on the mainline Turnpike and its Northeast Extension by 25 percent in January 2009. An approval by spring could...    more...  

Feb 28, 2010 Crumbling: The bumpy bottom line (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) Ravenstahl mounted a paver to proclaim that the city would resurface 50 miles that year. Costa said the 2nd Division got less city asphalt because the state tended to do more paving in that area. Since then, the city has been buying asphalt from New Castle-based Lindy Paving Inc. Mr.    more...  

Feb 28, 2010 Next N.J. transit chief faces rough road ahead (The Philadelphia Inquirer) We have to figure out how to keep roads and bridges in good working order at a lower cost. The calculations are based on the average household use of 930 gallons a year. The state shouldn't rely only on a gas-tax increase, Baldwin said.    more...  

Feb 28, 2010 I-75 ramp work on road to completion (The Bradenton Herald) ...interchange at Ellenton, where the interstate crosses U.S. 301. That project, with a $1.5 million cost, entails widening the northbound I-75 exit ramp and constructing an additional left turn lane onto U.S. 301, according to FDOT. It also calls for widening the west approach on U.S. 301 to...    more...  

Feb 28, 2010 Increasing number of unmarried in Augusta area will be one part of U.S. Census examination (The Augusta Chronicle) Columbia County had the lowest, at nearly 23 percent. But all three area counties, including Aiken, have seen an increase in those percentages since 1990. Correspondingly, the percentage of people who are married declined over that time. It's intergenerational poverty," he said. "Like if you're...    more...  

Feb 28, 2010 Future of funding for PennDOT uncertain (The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) Without the revenue from I-80, the turnpike's annual transfers of toll money to PennDOT's coffers will drop from $900 million in 2009 to $450 million this year. Federal funding expired in September, and Congress has passed several resolutions extending funding at 2009 levels.    more...  

Feb 27, 2010 With project in death throes, Route 11 commission is on road to nowhere (The Day) Route 11 Greenway Authority Commission continued their soul-searching Friday morning. The commission has received funding to start engineering a bike and pedestrian path on either side of the proposed Route 11 highway extension. The problem: There may never be a highway extension. There also...    more...  

Feb 27, 2010 Medford bypass focuses on Medco route (Mail Tribune) The bill provided $900 million statewide for transportation projects.    more...  

Feb 27, 2010 L.A. County supervisors exert unusual and perhaps improper influence on planners, audit suggests (Los Angeles Times) Antonovich said through a spokesman that Novak would not be admonished. Bohlke declined to comment. The audit was initiated by the county's auditor-controller after the supervisors fired McClendon in January 2009. McClendon's allegations involve one-on-one conversations over the phone or in person.    more...  

Feb 27, 2010 ANOTHER BUMP IN THE ROAD (The Evening News and The Tribune) ...projects were subject to minor changes at Thursday's meeting, both in Floyd County. A project for Paoli Pike intersection improvements changed the funding structure, moving money designated for the redesign from congestion mitigation and air quality funds to local funds, which totaled...    more...  

Feb 27, 2010 NFTA prepared to drop plan to sell railroad right of way (The Buffalo News) Transit Corp., a group advocating the extension of Metro Rail. President Gladys Gifford last year voiced reservations about selling the land at a time when stimulus money and other federal funds were making extension of Buffalo rapid transit a feasible idea for the first time in many years. She...    more...  

Feb 27, 2010 Senator stalls transportation, jobless funds (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) Oberstar said that starting Monday, daily reimbursements averaging $153.6 million will cease to flow to states from the Federal Highway Administration. Some $31.4 million per day in payments by the Federal Transit Administration will also be frozen. He estimated that 4,000 workers would be...    more...  

Feb 27, 2010 Transit may offer fast travel to Downtown Memphis (The Commercial Appeal) Thad Cochran, R-Miss., $70 million has been earmarked in the transportation bill in a grant to fund an I-69 transit project. The BRT service would continue west on Church Road to U.S. 51 (one mile) and from this intersection to Downtown Memphis (15.4 miles) in an on-street bus lane. The BRT...    more...  

Feb 27, 2010 Missouri road projects stop because of congressional inaction (The Kansas City Star) It passed the Senate but is now facing delays in the House. Missouri was expected to lose $243 million through the end of the federal fiscal year in September. Officials there said the state had only programmed about a third of the money the state could have lost if the problem wasn't fixed.    more...  

Feb 27, 2010 Bike lane over Missouri River among dozen delayed projects (The Kansas City Star) It passed the Senate but is now facing delays in the House.    more...  

Feb 26, 2010 Poll (Asbury Park Press) ...dedicated." Putting the trust back in the trust fund has been an issue since advocates such as Tri-State fought to keep revenues from the gas tax from being diverted to the general fund. Baldwin and other advocates said the only way to do that is to constitutionally dedicate the gas tax...    more...  

Feb 26, 2010 Inland businesses split over impact of Senate jobs bill (The Press-Enterprise) Inland Southern California has lost an estimated 140,000 jobs in that time, and the 14 percent unemployment rate in Riverside and San Bernardino counties is one of the nation's highest. Opinions are divided whether a one-year break on payroll taxes would make a huge difference. The Congressional...    more...  

Feb 26, 2010 Indianapolis drivers hope mass transit plans speed up (The Indianapolis Star) The interstate is one of the most heavily traveled in the state until it ends at I-465, transportation planners say, drawing more than 150,000 vehicles daily.    more...  

Feb 26, 2010 Senate to take up yearlong extension of unemployment benefits (The Hill) The measure could be unveiled later Friday.The aide said the unemployment benefits would be combined with a tax extenders bill that passed the House Thursday. It is immoral.”Bunning said Democrats acted inappropriately by scrapping the $85 billion jobs package negotiated by Finance Committee...    more...  

Feb 26, 2010 Coastal Commission staff recommends approval of long-stalled Arana Gulch project (Santa Cruz Sentinel) ...planner on Thursday recommended the agency's board approve the Arana Gulch Master Plan, including controversial paved trails through the 68-acre greenbelt, when it meets in two weeks. "That is good news," Santa Cruz Public Works Director Mark Dettle said. "We hope we can move forward." Susan...    more...  

Feb 26, 2010 BRIEF (Standard-Examiner) Herbert first rolled out the idea of using transportation funds when he unveiled his budget proposal. Delay until 2013. --$6.6 million new auxiliary lane and widened bridge on northbound I-15 from 500 West to Parrish Lane in Davis County.    more...  

Feb 26, 2010 Senate inaction jeopardizes unemployment benefits (Associated Press Online) It would extend funding for highway projects and spare doctors from a 21 percent cut in Medicare payments. Instead, people seeking to obtain benefit extensions would not be able to obtain them. Bunning objected, as he has repeatedly since Thursday. "Everybody in this chamber wants to extend...    more...  

Feb 26, 2010 Conciliation overcomes acrimony in allocation of anti-poverty funds (The Buffalo News) That wasn't the case this year." The funding application increases spending for demolition and housing rehabilitation. It also earmarks $1.1 million to improve neighborhood parks.    more...  

Feb 26, 2010 Senate jobs bill meets reluctance over distribution of highway funds (Los Angeles Times) ...-- The Senate jobs bill, passed this week in a rare bipartisan vote, is running into resistance in the House because it is too generous to California and a few other states, critics said. A bipartisan group of House members is complaining that the measure would steer more than half of a...    more...  

Feb 26, 2010 Another bump in the road for area projects (The Evening News and The Tribune) Indiana Bridges Authority meeting, the lapse that the Transportation Improvement Plan is in and the project freeze that is on the horizon is looking to be avoided by KIPDA Transportation Policy Committee members. The only projects that are going to continue are projects that are in an exempt...    more...  

Feb 26, 2010 Nofolk light-rail overages leave cash crunch (The Virginian-Pilot) Light rail is expected to open in May 2011. Shucet said HRT is working to categorize each new cost as an enhancement or an overrun to present to federal regulators. HRT has financial commitments totaling $288 million, the previous light-rail budget. HRT is paying him $28,000 a month, and Norfolk...    more...  

Feb 26, 2010 Commissioners spar over 'rail' on transit tax ballot (Tampa Tribune) The original language said that 75 percent of the tax proceeds would fund "a rail rapid transit system and enhanced bus service," and 25 percent would go to roads. That's my challenge to you." Higginbotham said after the meeting he had heard that Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio asked for rail to be taken...    more...  

Feb 26, 2010 Commissioners spar over including 'rail' on transit tax ballot (Tampa Tribune) The original language said that 75 percent of the tax proceeds would fund "a rail rapid transit system and enhanced bus service," while 25 percent would go to roads. That's my challenge to you." Higginbotham said after the meeting he had heard Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio asked that rail be taken out...    more...  

Feb 26, 2010 Broken rail disrupts T service (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) That required the authority to tear out and replace a 90-foot stretch of rail, some of which was embedded in concrete.    more...  

Feb 25, 2010 For your pleasure: Noisy rails set for lubrication (Seattle Post Intelligencer) The work is expected to last until May 2."Maintenance may temporarily close some platforms on one side of the track. A track switch along Martin Luther King Jr. When Sound Transit designed the Central Link line, the agency predicted noise levels based on data from other light rail systems and...    more...  

Feb 25, 2010 Black Caucus throws roadblock in front of 'tax-cut' $15 billion job-creation bill (The Hill) Black Caucus members are dismissing a $15 billion jobs bill as inadequate, forcing House leaders to rethink their plan to vote on the measure Friday.Leaders of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) told Democratic leaders Thursday that they didn't support a measure they saw more as a "tax bill"...    more...  

Feb 25, 2010 Idaho education groups, lawmakers make budget deal including teacher pay freeze, other steps (The Idaho Statesman) The agreement still must pass through the budget writing committee and then the full Legislature.    more...  

Feb 25, 2010 Agencies tout mass transit (Hendricks County Flyer) Organizers are conducting about 30 public hearings around Central Indiana, including one held last week at the Plainfield-Guilford Township Public Library. A preliminary draft from Indy Connect shows a light rail line on Washington Street in downtown Indianapolis that could be expanded with...    more...  

Feb 25, 2010 Toll road may rescue DART's Orange Line from delay (The Dallas Morning News) That shortfall will hold up the first two phases of DART's Orange Line project if utility relocations aren't sped up. One idea includes charging for parking at the planned Belt Line station, but that would ultimately be a DART decision.    more...  

Feb 25, 2010 Inhofe, Coburn explain split vote (Tulsa World) ...votes. Sen. Jim Inhofe voted for the bill, which passed the Senate by a vote of 70-28, while Sen. Tom Coburn voted against it. "The real outrage is how long it took Congress to act," said Inhofe, who focused on transportation funds...    more...  

Feb 25, 2010 Irvine, Calif., backs $54 million Sand Canyon Avenue construction (The Orange County Register) ...for the Sand Canyon project, leaving an estimated $8 million shortfall that they expect to address once construction bids are received. Since the project includes $30 million in State Proposition 116 and 1B funds, Irvine is required to submit its request to the California Transportation...    more...  

Feb 25, 2010 Former N.C. mayor urges bold steps for transit net (The Ledger) ...area from Tampa's metropolitan areas to Orlando's metropolitan areas, both of which include Polk County. "Polk County is a critical element in the future transportation system," Stuart Rogel of Tampa Bay Partnership told the crowd. Local officials also used the forum to pitch efforts to link...    more...  

Feb 25, 2010 NEPA infrastructure projects await fed money (The Times Leader) The department has been devoting much of its funding to repair and rehabilitation projects with little left for new construction. The Cross-Valley bridge project would cost $15.5 million and stimulus funds would pay for most of it. John said. He, too, stressed transportation funds would be...    more...  

Feb 25, 2010 Jerusalem light rail's midnight ride (Globes) The latest launch date was set earlier this week by the arbitrators in the dispute between railway franchisee CityPass and the Jerusalem Municipality and the government. The arbitrators, Adv. When the second stage is completed, and after all the carriages and systems have been tested on each of...    more...  

Feb 25, 2010 The Blade, Toledo, Ohio, Marilou Johanek column (The Blade) Ted Strickland will assume that challenge over the next four years or Republican John Kasich will. Kasich frees them to build statewide support for the general election. Voters must demand to know exactly how Mr.    more...  

Feb 25, 2010 Rising jobless claims reflect weakening recovery (Associated Press Online) The unemployment rate in January was 9.7 percent, and employers cut a net total of 20,000 jobs. Excluding transportation, durable goods orders fell by 0.6 percent. But economists weren't overly alarmed by that drop. Many economists point out that the recovery is weak compared with the aftermath...    more...  

Feb 25, 2010 Sen. Jim Inhofe now backs jobs bill, more state highway money (The Daily Oklahoman) The extension approved Wednesday lasts through the year.    more...  

Feb 25, 2010 Residents oppose $41.8M project to widen Warm Springs, Talbotton roads (Columbus Ledger-Enquirer) Traffic on the proposed four-lane with turning lanes would handle more than 25,000 vehicles daily while a two-lane road with a turning lane would handle 20,000 vehicles.    more...  

Feb 25, 2010 Transportation chief says bikes, buses are way to go in D.C. (Washington Post) Traffic in and out of Washington backed up for hours Feb. 12 on snow-blocked roads that had lost a lane or more. Last Friday, they were ticketed by a parking enforcement officer."People were willing to give the city some slack," Maner said. "But to come out and see that? It led Klein to set aside...    more...  

Feb 25, 2010 Antioch looks at BART beyond Hillcrest (Contra Costa Times) BART's light rail model will include self-propelled diesel battery rail cars and require passengers to transfer at the Pittsburg-Bay Point station.    more...  

Feb 25, 2010 BRIEF (The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) Downtown and Oakland and to improve transit service in Downtown. The Transportation Action Partnership, a group whose task is to improve transit service, has not determined a preferred mode of transit for either project, but a people-mover, rapid bus transit line and light rail are...    more...  

Feb 25, 2010 Both sides debate tolling I-80 (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) The tolls on I-80, which stretches across northern Pennsylvania from Ohio to New Jersey, need federal approval to go into effect, however. Mr. McCall called them "a vocal minority of our congressional delegation." Mr. Thompson said the decision on I-80 tolls "must be made on the rule of law,...    more...  

Feb 25, 2010 Sugar House streetcar may stall without fed push (The Salt Lake Tribune) ...federal grant and encouraged Utah's congressional delegation to support the project in a planned transportation funding bill. Either way, Salt Lake City and South Salt Lake would likely have to come up with some matching funds to get the federal money and complete the project's $46 million...    more...  

Feb 25, 2010 Metro launches probe into document shredding (Houston Chronicle) ...and deserve." Travel records, e-mail West declined to say what motivated Kelley's 16-item open records request. Among other documents, Kelley asked for travel records and e-mail correspondence for Wolff, Wilson, other top Metro officials and Sallye Perrin, an executive of Parsons, a member...    more...  

Feb 24, 2010 Construction unemployment still on rise (USA Today) About 60,000 commercial construction jobs were eliminated in January.Help from WashingtonThe $787 billion stimulus package was designed to stanch the bleeding, with $135 billion earmarked for construction. They've saved or created about 100 jobs for Sundt and its subcontractors, Pruitt says.But...    more...  

Feb 24, 2010 Some jobs cost more to create than others (USA Today) The Senate passed a $15 billion jobs bill Wednesday that includes tax incentives for hiring and more money for highway construction. The bill goes to the House, which passed a larger jobs measure in December that included highway and education spending.Republicans such as Sen. Judd Gregg of New...    more...  

Feb 24, 2010 Transportation bill makes debut (Atlanta Journal Constitution) Ariel HartThe big transportation bill proposed by Gov. Sonny Perdue could end up raising more than $700 million a year for metro Atlanta projects if the Legislature and metro voters approve it. One would put the State Road and Tollway Authority, which Perdue heads as chairman, in charge of...    more...  

Feb 24, 2010 Mayors of Hillsborough's 3 cities suggest division of transit tax (Tampa Tribune) The remaining 25 percent of the proceeds will go for road projects.    more...  

Feb 24, 2010 Track problem to affect T, bus service all day (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) McNeil said an 8-inch section of rail broke in two places near the crosswalk at Station Square.    more...  

Feb 24, 2010 State House speaker lobbies U.S. for approval of I-80 tolls (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) Ed Rendell said recently that if the tolls get a go-ahead from the feds, Pennsylvania will have $922 million to spend this year on road/bridge repairs and on mass transit. McCall recently announced he won't seek re-election to the House this year. Mr.    more...  

Feb 24, 2010 Oberstar: House Won't Pass Senate Bill (Politico) He said that the Senate bill “does violence” by giving four states – including California and Illinois – almost all the extra federal highway funds.    more...  

Feb 24, 2010 EDITORIAL (The Idaho Statesman) But Bieter is absolutely doing the right thing. The Treasure Valley needs to keep looking for public transportation projects that will prove popular with commuters and taxpayers. That's one of several reasons why we opposed making the Downtown loop the starting point for a streetcar system. It...    more...  

Feb 24, 2010 Buffalo's block grant application ready to go (The Buffalo News) That wasn't the case this year." The funding application increases spending for demolitions and housing rehabilitations. It also earmarks $1.1 million to improve neighborhood parks.    more...  

Feb 24, 2010 Blaine gives support for roundabouts project (The Bellingham Herald) The project would close D Street for about 50 days. Todd Harrison, assistant regional administrator at the DOT, asked the mayor what the city's formal position on the project is. He noted that four council members -- a majority -- had previously voted in favor of the project. Council members...    more...  

Feb 24, 2010 House approves Toyota-related road bonds (Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal) Steve Holland, D-Plantersville, and co-sponsored by Reps. Brian Aldridge, R-Tupelo, Jerry Turner, R-Baldwyn, and Margaret Ellis Rogers, D-New Albany. Those added were primarily in the Mississippi Delta, plus state Highway 7 in north-central Mississippi. But the package has a long way to go in...    more...  

Feb 24, 2010 Rangel predicts support for jobs bill (The Hill) They argue increases in demands for goods and services, not a tax credit, are the key to boosting employment.Conservative Republican Rep.    more...  

Feb 24, 2010 McGinn, legislators seek changes to 520 bridge design (The Seattle Times) Such a line, from Overlake to Ballard, might be included in a future ballot measure. But this month, McGinn, House Speaker Frank Chopp of Seattle and other elected officials and community groups said they want to explore a smaller design that includes light rail immediately. Gov. One would allow...    more...  

Feb 24, 2010 Chesapeake delays action on light-rail study (The Virginian-Pilot) ...cost and feasibility of extending light rail to the city's South Norfolk or Greenbrier areas. The decision comes a day after Hampton Roads Transit withdrew a request for Virginia Beach to spend $244,800 on a light- rail study. HRT will instead get the cash from a fund that includes money from...    more...  

Feb 24, 2010 Rell Misses Governors' Meeting To Work On State Budget (The Hartford Courant) So far, quite frankly, from the legislative perspective, we're worried. On Tuesday, she visited a middle school in Middletown to thank students for raising $3,500 for Haiti. "My priority is right here. Rell has avoided the meetings regularly and came home early in 2005 as she avoided a...    more...  

Feb 24, 2010 Bikestations open: A place to park two wheels (San Gabriel Valley Tribune) ...the right path -- bike path, that is. Today, that path leads to Covina and Claremont. In both cities, White-Kjoss' Long Beach-based Mobis Transportation/Bikestation and its latest local clients -- Covina and Claremont -- will open Bikestations in a morning full of open houses, ribbon...    more...  

Feb 24, 2010 TAX INCREASE SOUGHT (The Free Lance-Star) The budget also includes level funding from the county to the school system, at $113.8 million. The other two pennies will be transferred to the Capital Projects Fund, per county financial guidelines, so the county will have cash to pay for future capital projects and borrowing, Barnes said....    more...  

Feb 24, 2010 Collinsville OKs Illinois 159 funding: Highway will be straightened and widened in city (Belleville News-Democrat) The middle section is from Church to Johnson Street, north of Ss. Project coordinator Chuck Keeney said approximately 42 percent of all the land acquisition for the project has been completed. The first phase will impact 80 parcels. The other two sections are funded for land acquisition only,...    more...  

Feb 24, 2010 Delegates push for fed funds (New Haven Register) The release said LaHood told the two senators and five congressmen "he shared their disappointment" that the state's projects received no money.    more...  

Feb 24, 2010 Md. Republicans propose budget cuts: Joint hearing hears calls to cut funds to education, state government, local aid (The Baltimore Sun) Martin O'Malley has resisted that move and uses federal stimulus funds to pay for part of the cost in his budget proposal. Democrats contend no such discussions take place, and asked the GOP to present their ideas at a joint hearing. The planning was awkward at best. The Senate GOP caucus flatly...    more...  

Feb 24, 2010 Democrats hope bipartisan vote on jobs bill will be blueprint for future (Washington Post) Scott Brown (R-Mass.) grabbed the headlines, deciding on the first big vote of his new career to side with Democrats and the two GOP moderates from Maine, Sens. Christopher S. Bond (R-Mo.), who is also not running for reelection, cited the bill's funding for transportation projects in explaining...    more...  

Feb 24, 2010 Transportation secretary pledges to help state with stimulus bids (Connecticut Post) My department will meet with each and every Connecticut applicant to ensure that they are fully prepared to compete later this year." Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., and Connecticut's four other congressmen along with Democratic Sen.    more...  

Feb 24, 2010 Ybor charms heralded (Tampa Tribune) Immigrants lived and worked in a city of bakeries, grocery stores, millineries and pasta factories.    more...  

Feb 23, 2010 Collinsville approves its share of first phase of Illinois 159 project (Belleville News-Democrat) The middle section is from Church to Johnson Street, north of Ss. Project coordinator Chuck Keeney said approximately 42 percent of all the land acquisition for the project has been completed. The first phase will impact 80 parcels. The other two sections are funded for land acquisition only,...    more...  

Feb 23, 2010 No way to know how many Georgia jobs saved by stimulus (Athens Banner-Herald) In Oconee County, for example, the school district received a $1.7 million grant last year to plug a budget gap created by falling tax revenue. Groups that are in line for a share of Georgia's $6.2 billion in stimulus funds report to the state agencies that distribute the money. About...    more...  

Feb 23, 2010 I-5 traffic needs ID'd: Lacey (The Olympian) The city will have to rely on state and federal transportation funding to pay for projects of this scale. Hoppe said the other interchange improvements would need to be completed before the new interchange could be constructed.    more...  

Feb 23, 2010 Funding for Drum connector rejected (Watertown Daily Times) One project in the state received funding: the transformation of a historic post office in Manhattan into a new passenger rail station to replace Penn Station, for $83 million out of $98.2 million requested.    more...  

Feb 23, 2010 N.C. unveils project priorities (Times-News) By June 2011, the transportation board should be presented the final product to approve. The projects were ranked by data rather than politics, Trogdon emphasized, and by taking "common sense" approaches. Just because a project is on the list does not mean it will remain on the list, Trogdon...    more...  

Feb 23, 2010 Road projects depend on tolls to pave way (The Patriot-News) Rendell took several calculated risks in his 2010-11 state budget, but one of his biggest risks lies in his plan to maintain the state's roads and bridges. Rendell is banking on the placement of tolls on Interstate 80 to generate hundreds of millions of dollars for transportation projects. The...    more...  

Feb 23, 2010 Stafford parking increase possible (The Free Lance-Star) ...slug line that operates out of that lot every day," said Diana Utz, GWRideConnect director. Parking spaces exist at a few commuter lots elsewhere in the Fredericksburg region, but people flock to the North Stafford lots because a unique form of commuting -- slugging -- is robust there....    more...  

Feb 23, 2010 MOVING ALONG (New Haven Register) Despite rumors, yes, it will. --Will the ramp from Woodward Avenue onto I-95 southbound always be such a bad merge? In April. --Will the Exit 46 on- and offramps at Sargent Drive ever be fixed to avoid gridlock?    more...  

Feb 23, 2010 BRIEF (The Oregonian) Officials plan to maintain the five-story building's facade but completely rebuild the interior.    more...  

Feb 23, 2010 Stimulus highway projects to begin in spring (The Philadelphia Inquirer) The interchange of City Avenue, Lincoln Drive, Kelly Drive, and Ridge Avenue carries about 100,000 vehicles daily. The project will replace two bridges on ramps over Kelly Drive, the bridge carrying Lincoln Drive over Ridge Avenue, and a bridge on the Lincoln Drive ramp to southbound City Avenue....    more...  

Feb 23, 2010 DOT work in Triad may end up being delayed (Winston-Salem Journal) The department unveiled the rankings as part of meeting Gov. The existing bridge was built in 1955 and its structure and design are considered deficient.    more...  

Feb 23, 2010 Jobs bill clears Senate hurdle (The Daily Oklahoman) Senate voted narrowly Monday to advance a jobs bill to boost highway spending and give tax breaks to small businesses. Senate Democratic leaders needed 60 votes to clear a procedural hurdle on the bill, and they got help from five Republicans to score a 62-30 victory. Oklahoma Sens. Tom Coburn,...    more...  

Feb 23, 2010 Va. slow to distribute transportation stimulus funds (Richmond Times-Dispatch) Robert C. Scott, D-3rd. Virginia is on track to have federal approval for all its transportation stimulus plans by next month, a program that falls to Gov.    more...  

Feb 23, 2010 Beach off the hook for funding HRT light rail study (The Virginian-Pilot) At the meeting, former HRT President Michael Townes told council members that HRT would pay for the study. The fund is used to match state and federal grants for things including buses, software and studies. This year, Virginia Beach contributed $242,000 to that fund.    more...