Washington, DC – May 14, 2009 – Every six years, Congress must reauthorize all federal surface transportation programs – the programs pay for roads, bridges, highways, and transit projects. The House has recently begun to draft new surface transportation authorization legislation to replace the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) (P.L. 109-59), which expires on September 30, 2009.
I have asked the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to include funding for the following High Priority Projects in Pennsylvania’s 14th Congressional District in this reauthorization bill. These projects, known as “HPPs” allow Members of Congress to ensure that the diverse and unique transportation needs of our individual districts are addressed in this legislation.
Each of these projects meets the required eligibility criteria under Title 23 (Highways) or Chapter 53 of Title 49 (Public Transit) of the United States Code, as required by the Committee.
Please note that these are merely requests that have been submitted to the Committee for review, and there is no guarantee that they will be funded.
- $1.6 million for PennDOT for rehabilitation of the Mansfield Bridge, which connects Dravosburgh to the cities of Glassport and McKeesport. The rehabilitation includes structural steel and concrete repairs, roadway patching and bituminous overlay and improvements to ancillary items such as concrete barriers, sidewalks, mountable curb islands, lighting and signing.
- $518,320 for PennDOT for the reconstruction of the Dewey Street Bridge in the Borough of Etna.
- $2.3 million for PennDOT for reconstruction of Forbes Avenue, Stanwix to Market Square and Wood Street to Smithfield Street, including pavement reconstruction, traffic signal and ADA curb ramp upgrades, new drainage, utility upgrades (where applicable), and new sidewalks and curbs. This project is located within the City of Pittsburgh.
- $6.4 million for PennDOT for Route 28 Urban Highway Runoff Mitigation in the City of Pittsburgh, Millvale Borough, Reserve Township, Sharpsburg Borough, Shaler Township, and O’Hara Township.
- $2 million for PennDOT for Phase 1 of the “I-579 Cap” project, which includes both the construction of a walkway between Centre Avenue and Fifth Avenue, in addition to the design, engineering, and planning of an overpass covering (capping) I-579 from Bedford Avenue to Centre Avenue and between Chatham Square and Washington Place. This project is located within the City of Pittsburgh.
- $16,000 for PennDOT for repairs at the intersection of 9th Street and Penn Street in the Borough of Sharpsburg.
- $13,830 for PennDOT for the replacement of the Stanton Avenue Bridge located in Reserve Township.
- $2 million for PennDOT for improvements to Route 8 Heth's Run Bridge. This project is located within the City of Pittsburgh.
- $3.3 million for PennDOT for reconstruction of Penn Avenue, from Millvale Street to Atlantic Avenue, including the street and sidewalks, new street scaping, traffic signal and street lighting, storm water, sewer and water line improvements. This project is located within the City of Pittsburgh.
- $308,416 for PennDOT for the replacement of the Greeley Street Bridge in the Borough of Etna.
- $1.6 million for PennDOT for the design, engineering, and planning of the Carrie Furnace Fly-Over Ramp, which would extend from the existing Rankin Bridge onto the Carrie Furnace brownfield site. This project is located within the Borough of Rankin.
- $800,000 for PennDOT for the Cultural District Riverfront Development Project, to study and plan improvements such as enhanced vehicular and pedestrian access and other transportation access improvements related to the Project as a whole. This project is located in the City of Pittsburgh.
- $100,000 for PennDOT to purchase software to record and monitor bridge infrastructure integrity through out Allegheny County.
- $2,460,410 for PennDOT for the Mon Wharf Switchback project, which will include the construction of a vertical, ADA accessible stair/ramp connection from the Mon Wharf Landing to the Smithfield Street Bridge, and final construction of the riverfront trail between downtown Pittsburgh, the Great Allegheny Passage, and Eliza Furnace Trail.
$750,000 for PennDOT for the 5th Avenue Corridor Revitalization Initiative, to improve road conditions, create walkways and signage, add new street lighting, replace or renovate street-front facades, and create safe green space. This project is located in the City of Duquesne, from Priscilla Avenue to the Catherine Street/Walnut Avenue intersection.
- $4,396,000 for PennDOT for the Point Park University Wood Street Corridor Upgrade Project, which will include milling and resurfacing of streets, installation of ADA accessible sidewalks and curbs, and the addition of street lighting and new and efficient signaling systems. This project is located in the City of Pittsburgh, from Fort Pitt Boulevard to Forbes Avenue.
- $2.8 million for PennDOT for repairs within Frick Park, Highland Park and Riverview Park, including ADA compliant infrastructure. These parks are located within the City of Pittsburgh.
- $2 million for PennDOT for infrastructure redevelopment at the Mellon Arena Site, including the expansion of a portion of the new Wylie Avenue, from Crawford Avenue to the future Logan Street. This project is located within the City of Pittsburgh.
- $1,069,922 for PennDOT for the Brighton Road Extension, which will add a new street to the recently improved North Shore roadway network. This project is located within the City of Pittsburgh.
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