Highways

March 11, 2009 -- AUGUSTA - Maine Governor John E. Baldacci announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to formalize the process by which specific transportation projects in Caribou and Presque Isle will be completed. The MOU was signed by the Governor, Maine Department of Transportation Commission David Cole and the managers of the cities of Caribou and Presque Isle.

Last Wednesday, the Governor conducted a meeting with the Aroostook County legislative delegation, Maine Department of Transportation, and town officials and civic leaders from Houlton, Fort Kent, Caribou and Presque Isle. The Governor sought an agreement to advance pieces of the Aroostook County Transportation Study.    » read more »

March 11, 2009 -- Sacramento - A list of 57 transportation projects – totaling $625 million – was adopted today by the California Transportation Commission (CTC) as the first in line to receive infrastructure-focused federal economic stimulus dollars.

The CTC also voted to allocate funding for 56 of these projects, pending only final approval by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to release the stimulus funds, enabling construction to begin. The 57th project is the reconstruction of Doyle Drive in San Francisco, which is the southern access to the Golden Gate Bridge and is awaiting approval from the CTC for the environmental approval phase before being presented to the commission for consideration of a funding allocation next month.    » read more »

March 9, 2009 -- OLYMPIA - Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire along with the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) today announced Washington’s first state highway construction “Washington Jobs Now” projects funded by the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (AARA) were advertised to contractors.

The WSDOT advertised three contracts worth nearly $9 million this week that will ensure the continued availability of Interstate 90 as a safe and reliable cross-state corridor and will preserve US 101 and SR 103 in Pacific County.

In all, WSDOT will build 34 Washington Jobs Now stimulus projects valued at $341 million, supporting an estimated 3,300 jobs.    » read more »

More than $150 million in “shovel-ready” projects to move forward this spring through federal recovery funding

BOSTON– Friday, March 6, 2009 – Massachusetts Governor Patrick today announced the federal government has given Massachusetts the authority to spend $437.9 million on transportation projects through federal highway funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Of that funding, approximately $153.2 million will be committed to “shovel-ready” projects advertised for bid within the next 120 days.    » read more »

INDIANAPOLIS (February 27, 2009) - Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels said today the Indiana Department of Transportation's (INDOT) plan for distribution of Indiana's $658 million share of federal economic stimulus funds for highway infrastructure among state and local projects is nearing completion.

In addition, the governor said INDOT has identified and released its second list of state projects for bid that will use federal stimulus dollars. The list includes 29 projects in 21 counties valued at $43.6 million. The first list included 26 projects with a value of approximately $39 million. A list of those projects may be found on the INDOT website at: www.in.gov/indot/2400.htm.    » read more »

Another $45 Billion in Transportation Construction Projects at Stake

Feb. 25, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Public Citizen today sent a second letter urging Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood to end the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) practice of withholding highway funds from states that attempt to curb corruption by enacting “pay-to-play” reforms.

With an additional $45 billion allocated to transportation projects from the stimulus package, much of it to be awarded to private contractors by the states, Public Citizen is calling on LaHood to rescind the previous administration’s policy and allow states to ban the practice of exchanging cash for contracts.    » read more »

Says Many Town, County Projects Not Eligible for Federal Economic Recovery Funds; Creates Economic Recovery Website to Promote Efficiency, Transparency

February 17, 2009 -- New York Governor David A. Paterson today announced that the infusion of more than $1.1 billion in transportation funds to New York from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will allow the State to restore local highway funds originally proposed to be cut from the 2009-10 Executive Budget.    » read more »

Public Citizen Asks Transportation Secretary LaHood to Intervene

Jan. 27, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Public Citizen today urged the new Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood to end the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) practice of withholding highway funds from states that attempt to curb corruption by enacting "pay-to-play" reforms. Most recently, the FHWA threatened to withhold federal highway funds from Illinois because of the state’s effort to clean up its contracting process. Given the recent scandals, the state’s new restrictions on government contractors contributing to political campaigns merit praise, not punishment.    » read more »

Federal Funding for Nearly 750 State, Local and Not-for-Profit Traffic Safety Initiatives

January 21, 2009 -- New York Governor David A. Paterson today announced that New York will receive more than $31 million in grants for highway safety programs across the State. The Federal highway safety grants will be distributed by the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC) to nearly 750 State, local and not-for-profit agencies to conduct highway and traffic safety initiatives aimed at increasing driver education, new enforcement efforts to combat drinking and driving, passenger restraint enforcement, aggressive driving and excessive speeding prevention, and bicycle and pedestrian safety, among others.    » read more »

ANNAPOLIS, MD (August 11, 2008) – Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley released the following statement today regarding the fatal accident on the Bay Bridge:

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of those involved in the accident that took place on the Bay Bridge early Sunday morning.

The unique nature of this incident and its aftermath have posed challenges for us all, but I want to commend the response of our State and local agencies and first responders for their quick and decisive action when they arrived on the scene. I also want to recognize the tremendous effort of the bridge inspection, engineering and maintenance crews that have worked diligently the past two days to make the necessary repairs and ensure the bridge is safe for travel.    » read more »

August 13, 2008 -- MONTGOMERY - Alabama Governor Bob Riley announced that more than 125 additional state troopers will hit the roads Aug. 18-24, ramping up DUI, seat belt and aggressive driving enforcement during a statewide “Take Back Our Highways” traffic safety campaign.

Public Safety Director Col. J. Christopher Murphy joined the governor at a Montgomery news conference to unveil plans for the traffic safety and enforcement effort, which DPS successfully pioneered last year to combat Alabama’s rising fatality rate. Trooper-worked fatalities dropped by 62 in 2007, and troopers have worked 93 fewer fatalities this year, compared with the same period last year.    » read more »

Statement of Lena Pons, Policy Analyst, Public Citizen

In announcing that it would extend its cross-border trucking pilot project for two more years, the Bush administration continues to flout Congress at the expense of highway safety. This is the latest of many moves by the administration to give Mexico-domiciled carriers operating authority in the United States beyond a limited border zone despite lawmakers’ clear instructions to the contrary.    » read more »

Illinois Works invests in roads, bridges schools, creates more than 500,000 jobs

May 28, 2008 -- SPRINGFIELD – Standing with Illinois Works Coalition Co-Chair Illinois University President Glenn Poshard, Governor Rod R. Blagojevich, Senate President Emil Jones, Senate Minority Leader Frank Watson, and House Minority Leader Tom Cross today endorsed the new $31 billion comprehensive capital infrastructure plan recommended by the Illinois Works Coalition.

Spelling-challenged Illinois road sign: Photo by thoughtquotient (CC)    » read more »

05/29/2008 -- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger issued a statement today following action taken by the California Transportation Commission allocating $382 million in transportation funding from Proposition 1B.

"When the people of California voted for the $19.9 billion transportation bond they wanted action - and this is that action," said Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. "We are getting the money out the door and that ultimately strengthens California's economy and improves the quality of life in our state."

The Proposition 1B projects that received funding allocations today are:

* Los Angeles - $39 million was allocated to the city of Los Angeles to repair Interstate 710 from the Imperial Highway to Firestone Boulevard.    » read more »

05/29/2008 -- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today announced the award of $66 million in traffic safety grants to 153 agencies and communities across the state, illustrating the Governor’s continued commitment to saving lives on California’s roadways.

Fatal motorcycle accident on an LA County highway: Photo by 7mary3 (CC)    » read more »