The $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), signed into law by President Obama on February 17th, brings a welcome infusion of funds supporting major transportation infrastructure projects in the Bay Area. Of the $48 billion in ARRA funds for the Department of Transportation,
the Bay region received over $490 million, and can expect additional funds from those allocated to the state, as well as federal discretionary funds.Eight days after the President signed the bill, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) acted on allocation of the regional $490 million.
The MTC’s plan for investment:
• System Preservation Projects—Invest $270 million in transit rehabilitation and $118 million for local streets and roads rehabilitation/maintenance
• Safety Projects—Support safety projects in multi-county travel corridors, such as roads along the Contra Costa and Alameda county border
• Transit Expansion—Invest $70 million for the BART Oakland Airport Connector Project
• Smart Highways—Invest $19 million in freeway performance improvements throughout the region
Expediting projects to comply with the final delivery requirements in the bill is an essential area of focus for the Bay region to ensure the funds are used here in the timelines proscribed.
MTC projects that local investment of ARRA-originated funds will create between 12,500 and 19,000 Bay Area jobs and will help move forward key Measure B-funded projects, including $70 million toward construction of the BART-Oakland Airport Connector. Progress on this project has slowed due to difficulties in securing public funding and a reduced availability of private capital; the distribution of new Federal funds will provide financial resources to establish the public-private partnerships needed to advance work on the project, and award the construction contract by the end of the year.
In an effort to provide transparency and accountability, the investment of every ARRA dollar can be tracked through the Federal website, www.Recovery.gov. The site is intended to provide information on allocations by category, state, and congressional district.