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August
3,
2005 |
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Mayor Villaraigosa Joins Local, State and Federal
Leaders in Celebrating Los Angeles County's Success in Securing $4.5
Billion in Federal Transportation Funding Los Angeles Mayor and Metro
Board Chairman Antonio Villaraigosa today joined key members of Congress
and local and state officials in detailing Los Angeles County's success
in securing an estimated $4.5 billion in federal funding for highway and
transit programs and projects. This includes $833 million in
additional earmarks for specific projects and highway and transit
formula funds programmed by Metro. That's an increase over what the
region received in the last major U.S. transportation funding measure
approved in 1998. Congress last week passed, and
the President soon is expected to sign, a $286 billion six-year (FY 04
through FY 09) federal transportation funding bill. Los Angeles County
will gain an estimated $3.5 billion in formula programming for
maintenance and construction of bridges, highways and other transit
facilities, bus purchases, and local transportation programs that help
improve air quality. Approximately $1 billion is earmarked for 156
highway and 45 transit projects spread throughout Los Angeles County. "This is a great day for
Los Angeles," said Villaraigosa, who thanked all 18 members of the
local Congressional delegation, particularly Congresswoman Juanita
Millender-McDonald, a senior member of the House Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure. The Mayor also cited local and state
elected officials and the Mobility 21 lobbying coalition led by Metro,
the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and the Automobile Club of
Southern California and other organizations. "Working in partnership
with Congress, especially our Los Angeles and California delegations,
many important transportation projects were funded that will relieve
traffic congestion and serve the transit dependent in the region,"
Villaraigosa said. Major federal funding is
earmarked for construction of the I-405 northbound carpool lane from the
I-10 to US 101 ($130 million); replacement of the Gerald Desmond Bridge
spanning the ports ($100 million); Alameda Corridor East construction
from downtown Los Angeles to Barstow and Coachella that will feature
traffic light synchronization, grade separations, and other upgrades to
improve safety and reduce traffic delays caused by increased rail
freight traffic ($167 million of which $73.6 million is LA County's
share). Also included is the Metro Gold
Line extension to East Los Angeles, now under construction ($400
million); environmental and preliminary engineering studies and other
advance work on a Metro Gold line Montclair extension ($21 million); $11
million that can be used for construction of the Exposition light rail
line from downtown Los Angeles to Santa Monica; and $7 million for the
Crenshaw Corridor Bus Rapid Transit project. There also are dozens of smaller
projects such as one to provide safer and enhanced pedestrian access to
the Metro Blue Line train station in Watts; a new connector between the
I-5 and SR-14; off ramp improvements on the Pomona Freeway, and monies
to study the feasibility of building a tunnel extending the Long Beach
Freeway in the South Pasadena area. Monies for bus purchases and
construction of transit facilities for Metro and the municipal bus
operators that serve Los Angeles County also are earmarked along with
various road and technology improvements. Besides direct funding, the
multi-year federal transportation funding bill designates the I-710
Freeway corridor from Long Beach to SR 60 as a high priority corridor in
the national highway system, a move that may position the corridor to
receive substantial federal funding earmarks for a future retrofit to
handle burgeoning truck traffic from the ports. The bill also guarantees that by
2008, states will get back 92 percent of federal gasoline tax
contributions. That's up from 90.5 percent today. "Every dollar Los Angeles
receives is important," Mayor Villaraigosa continued, "but all
of us, at every level of government and in every community, must
continue to fight for more federal and state funding for transportation
projects. This funding is essential to keep our economy strong and our
constituents moving." Rep. Millender-McDonald
underscored the Mayor's comments. "To be sure, this
transportation bill does not provide the funding levels needed to
address all of our nation's critical transportation needs. However,
given our current federal budget constraints, our record deficit
spending and our ongoing commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is a
good start. This bill does provide mobility for millions of people,
creates jobs, reduces congestion and improves the movement of our
nation's goods. It will benefit the country and it will certainly
benefit all of us in Southern California." Metro-112 |