Johnson seeks federal funding for local transportation projects
Washington,
May 20, 2009 -
Today U.S. Congressman Sam Johnson (3rd Dist.-Texas) announced the high priority projects he’ll seek federal funding for in an upcoming transportation bill that will greatly upgrade road conditions for those who live, work and drive in North Texas.
Recently, Johnson requested $147.5 million for five transportation projects to improve the quality of life in Dallas and Collin Counties. Johnson firmly believes that since Texas is a “donor-state,” meaning that for every $1 dollar sent to Washington, Texas receives only 92 cents in return, that he should fight to guarantee that Texas receives its fair share in transportation dollars.
“The more this area grows, the more our transportation needs grow. Quality highway infrastructure is critical for economic development, particularly given the size of Texas and the rapid growth of our area,” said Johnson. “These projects can and will have an important impact on their communities by creating jobs and easing people’s commutes.”
Johnson believes that any funding request, some times called an earmark, included in any bill should be made public and attributed to the Member of Congress who requested it. In the interest of transparency and accountability, Johnson publishes his requests well before Congress considers them. Johnson began these disclosures before the House of Representatives adopted additional disclosure requirements for projects in bills.
The U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure is crafting new surface transportation authorization legislation to replace the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users, sometimes called “SAFETEA-LU”, which expires on September 30, 2009. The U.S. Department of Transportation, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and local metropolitan planning organizations are responsible for the vast majority of transportation investment decisions. In conjunction with the work of these agencies, Members of Congress have been given the opportunity to submit requests under this legislation for worthwhile transportation projects in their districts.
Johnson requested that the Committee publicly, properly and carefully consider whether his projects merit federal funds. Each Member of Congress must decide individually to request money for his or her congressional district as well as the amount in funding.
· Plan, design, engineer and conduct environmental review for the construction of an eight-lane divided urban freeway with HOV lanes and frontage roads along US 75 from SH 121 to US 380. ($77,076,480) Proposed recipient of funding: TxDOT
· Grade separation improvements at the IH 635 and Skillman Street interchange. ($29,396,736) Proposed recipient of funding: TxDOT
· Widening of US 380 to a six-lane divided roadway from east of Custer Road to east of Lake Forest Drive ($14,383,861) Proposed recipient of funding: TxDOT
· Widening of State Highway 5 from US 380 to FM 543. The road will be widened from two to four lanes. ($22.72M) Proposed recipient of funding: City of McKinney
· Improvements on State Highway 5 between FM 546 and US 380. Project components may include the construction of a median, improved traffic signals, sidewalks, crosswalks and street design. ($4M)
Proposed recipient of funding: City of McKinney
Total: $147,577,077
The projects included on this list are not guaranteed funding or that any funding they receive will be in the amount requested. Johnson represents portions of Dallas and Collin Counties.
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