Because the FY11 budget passed by Congress last April directed that all such funds be discretionary, FHWA awarded these funds through what it said was a “competitive process.”
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced $417.3 million in grants to fund a variety of highway projects ranging from interstate maintenance to research into “innovative” bridge materials and construction methods.
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) invited states to apply last June for federal funding from 14 grant programs. Dot in a release said that highway project requests came from every state, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. – more than 1,800 applications, totaling nearly $13 billion, which is more than 30 times the funds available since the highway trust fund has been gutted by years of partisan politics and a refusal to raise either gas or impose use taxes.
“Transportation investments like these will create jobs, increase mobility, improve quality of life for all Americans and strengthen our national economy,” said Secretary LaHood, echoing the talking points of the Obama Administration, which is under attack by Republicans for ongoing long-term unemployment rates not seen since the Great Depression, followed by the Great Recession both of which began under Republican rule.
Among highway project grant recipients, North Carolina received $3.75 million to improve the I-40/I-77 interchange near Statesville. The project is the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s top priority and, when completed, it’s said, it will reduce traffic congestion and improve safety. When the current interchange was built in the late 1960s, it was expected to handle only 5,000 vehicles each day. Currently, the ramps carry about 70,000 vehicles per day.
Colorado received $3.76 million to help with accelerated bridge construction techniques that will speed completion of its replacement of the Pecos Street Bridge over I-70. These techniques will allow the bridge to be put in place all at one time, over a 50-hour period, instead of disrupting traffic over 12 months.
Congress created the discretionary grant programs to give FHWA the latitude to support highway projects that maintain the nation’s roads and bridges, improve roadway safety and make communities more livable. In previous years, a pork loving Congress designated some of this grant money for specific highway projects and FHWA awarded the remainder through a competitive process. Because the FY11 budget passed by Congress last April directed that all such funds be discretionary, FHWA awarded these funds through what it said was a “competitive process.”
“At a time when states are facing serious budgetary constraints, these grants will help fill a critical need,” said Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez.
A state-by-state list of the FY11 highway projects grants is available atwww.fhwa.dot.gov/pressroom/fhwa1137.htm
