Today, Senator McCain filed over 20 amendments to the Transportation, Housing and Urban
Development spending bill. There was one common thread of blocking funding for long-awaited, important transportation projects,
with all but one amendment directed at local
transportation systems.
These amendment proposals could not arise at a more
inopportune time. The country is experiencing the highest level of ridership in
50 years while Congress grapples over how to tackle our climate change crisis. Meanwhile,
many transportation agencies’ are cutting services and raising fares to deal
with budget cuts. We need more investment in transportation, not less, to
address these challenges.
Furthermore, the proposed projects represent hundreds of
millions of dollars in economic stimulus, creating long-term, well-paying jobs,
and boosting local economies. A vote is expected sometime this week on the
Senate floor, and it is crucial our Senators vote against these amendments.
List of
Threatened Local Projects:
California - Sacramento light rail
extension
California - Wilshire
Boulevard bus-only lanes
and the Metro Gold Line extension in L.A.
Colorado - West,
East, and Gold rail transit corridors in the Denver area
Connecticut - Stamford urban
transitway
Delaware - Commuter
rail improvements on the Wilmington to Newark route
Florida - Miami area's
Metrorail Orange Line extension
Hawaii - Honolulu's proposed rail
transit line
Illinois - Chicago
Transit Authority's Red Line rehabilitation project
NY/NJ - ARC transit tunnel under the Hudson
Michigan - regional
rail from Ann Arbor to Detroit
North Carolina - Blue
Line extension in Charlotte
Tennessee -
statewide bus program
Texas -
Northwest/Southwest light rail and the Houston light rail extension
Utah -
Mid-Jordan light rail, Draper light rail, and Weber-to-Salt Lake City commuter rail
projects
Virginia - Dulles
Corridor extension of D.C.'s Metro into Virginia
Washington - Sound
Transit light rail extension in the Seattle area
Washington - bus
rapid transit from Bellevue to Redmond
