State departments of transportation have met their first "use it or lose it" deadline under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, obligating half of their stimulus funds for highway projects. The number of ARRA highway and transit project starts has risen sharply in recent weeks, but actual outlays remain small, according to reports from a key House committee. Emphasizing the ARRA progress, the White House and U.S. DOT said on June 25 that $19 billion has been obligated for more than 5,300 highway and other transportation projects. ARRA requires states to obligate--commit to specifid projects--at least 50% of their highway
Of the $1.3 billion in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds scheduled for delivery to Amtrak projects, almost $50 million will go to California projects – half for a new LA Maintenance Facility and most of the balance to meet accessibility requirements. The maintenance facility is planned as a pre-engineered metal building 820 ft long by 70 ft wide, semi-enclosed with a pit running the length of the building. It will include equipment to remove, clean and service train cars. The project will go to bid in October with construction starting in January, 2010. It could take 12 to 16
Airports across the nation are cutting back on their capital programs, and the industry is anxious for a full reauthorization of a Federal Aviation Administration funding bill rather than settling for topgap extensions. Perhaps the most pressing issues of all are implementing a modern air-traffic control system (NextGen) and finding alternatives to crude-oil-based jet fuels. Catherine Lang, FAA’s acting associate administrator, told attendees of the American Association of Airport Executives that the Senate is the “wild card” in reauthorizing a four-year bill. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on March 5 approved a bill that would authorize $70 billion for
The eastern half of the Hood Canal Bridge opened on June 3, eight days ahead of a schedule that was revised after a 15-month delay in 2005. Crews finished installing 17 pontoons for the 1.5-mile state Route 104 crossing. The world’s longest floating bridge over salt water links Washington state’s Olympic and Kitsap peninsulas about 60 miles north of Seattle. Photo: Kiewit-General Trusses are designed to withstand rough winds. Kiewit-General Construction Co., Poulsbo, Wash., earned a $600,000 bonus for the early opening. The $490-million project took six years, due in part to a 15-month delay after an ancient Native American
Federal investigators are examing the performance of signals and automatic operations equipment as well as railcar age and maintenance in the fatal June 22 crash of two Washington, D.C., Metrorail trains in Maryland. The accident killed one operator and eight passengers and injured 76. Photo: AP/Wideworld
With the current highway and transit authorization law set to expire on Sept. 30 and the Highway Trust Fund in deep, immediate trouble, a two-way tussle has arisen over what Congress should do next. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and the White House want an 18-month highway and transit extension with a trust-fund fix. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar (D-Minn.) and other leaders on the panel reject an extension and have proposed a $500-billion, six-year reauthorization. They want to see the trust fund repaired, but their bill is silent on that point. Missing so far from both LaHood’s
In the face of opposition from the Obama administration, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee leaders have unveiled major elements of a $500-billion surface transportation bill that would carry highway, transit and rail programs through the next six years and restructure Dept. of Transportation programs. Related Links: DOT's LaHood Seeks SAFETEA-LU Extension Other ENR SAFETEA-LU Coverage The proposal would represent about a 50% boost over funding for the past six years, but it doesn't specify where the additional money would come from. It also must contend with a radically different counter-proposal from Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who has called for an
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has proposed an "immediate" 18-month reauthorization of the federal highway program that also would infuse the faltering Highway Trust Fund with enough money to avoid a shortfall in August. LaHood said in a June 17 statement that he had briefed congressional lawmakers on the trust fund's problems and said that if money isn't added to the fund, "the trust fund will run out of money as soon as late August and states will be in danger of losing the vital transportation funding they need and expect." LaHood did not disclose details of his plan to fix
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has released interim guidelines for its much-awaited High Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Planning Grants program, which includes $8 billion in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act aid and other federal high-speed and intercity rail funds. States now must hustle to apply for the money, because FRA has set a July 10 deadline for filing "pre-application" forms. Related Links: DOT High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program Guidelines The first round of the rail grants will be awarded by mid-September, based on merit. In its guidance document, released June 17, FRA says projects will be evaluated and rated according
A joint venture between TAV Construction, based in Istanbul, and Consolidated Contractors Group, based in Athens, has won a $1.17-billion contract to expand Muscat International Airport, formerly Seeb International Airport, in Oman. The expansion includes a 240,000-sq-meter terminal building, runway, control tower and a rail link to the existing terminal. Work is expected to be completed by 2011. The project manager is a joint venture of France’s Aeroports de Paris and Pakistan’s National Engineering Services Pakistan & Partners.
RSS
