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SAFETEA-LU Reauthorization

Listed below are the project requests that I submitted to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for inclusion in the surface transportation reauthorization legislation that will update the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) that expires in September 2009.  My requests are listed in alphabetical order by project name.

As a fiscally-conservative Member of the Blue Dog Coalition and a former small business owner, I believe Congress must spend with the utmost care.  It is part of my job to bring the hard-earned tax dollars of southern Arizonans home to our communities in meaningful ways.  Please let me know if you have any comments or questions. 

Davis Road Safety Improvements – Cochise County, $2,000,000:  Funding will be used to construct all weather crossings for a rural major collector roadway serving high volumes of freight traffic.  This 24-mile roadway connects state route 80 and state route 191 and serves commuter, regional and commercial traffic.  However, the road is frequently closed due to flooding.  This project is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because Davis Road provides a vital link for freight traffic carrying goods from the international Port of Entry in Douglas, Arizona, to urban centers further west and onto the seaports in California.

Palo Parado Road and Bridge – Santa Cruz County, $2,000,000:  Funding will be used to construct an improved railroad crossing and 700 linear feet of roadway and related drainage improvements across the Santa Cruz River from the Palo Parado Interchange across the Union Pacific Railroad to Pendleton Drive.  The need for a safe connection to the I-19 is essential for the 13,000 residents who live east of Pendleton Drive.  Over 1,400 vehicles travel on this difficult roadway every day. 

Passenger Rail from Phoenix to Tucson – Arizona Department of Transportation, $4,000,000:  This funding will be used for Phase II of the Environmental Impact Study (EIS) and potential acquisition of right-of-way for a passenger rail connection between Peoria/Surprise/Phoenix and Marana/Tucson.  The rail project will span a length of over 140 miles and is designed to compete or beat travel time by automobile.  This is an important use of taxpayer funds because I-10 between Phoenix and Tucson is a major bottleneck in one of few east-west transportation points across the United States.  The 1-10 was selected by the U.S. Department of Transportation as a Corridor of the Future, which recognizes the importance of this corridor in moving both passengers and freight.  Providing an alternative mode of transportation for people traveling from southern Arizona to Phoenix and back again will reduce congestion, enhance air quality and increase safety on this major corridor.

Railroad Grade Separations – City of Tucson, $2,000,000:  Funding will be used to separate vehicle traffic from railroad traffic throughout Tucson; thereby improving transportation system safety.  This is an important use of taxpayer funds because grade separations would solve a critical safety problem in the Tucson area that is regularly blamed for traffic related fatalities.

Sahuarita Road Improvements - Town of Sahuarita, $2,000,000:  Funding will be used to improve a three-mile segment of road along the eastern entrance to the Town of Sahuarita.  This project is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because the Sahuarita Road Corridor from La Villita to Country Club is the eastern gateway to the Town of Sahuarita.  A grade-separated crossing over the Union Pacific Rail Road tracks would create safer access for first responders in the event of an emergency.  The project involves expanding the current two-lane road into a four-lane divided, all-weather roadway with two bridge structures, wider medians, multi-purpose lanes and sidewalks. 

Tucson Modern Streetcar/Light Rail Transit System – City of Tucson - $5,000,000:  This funding will be used to match local dollars that have been raised to design and construct a new modern streetcar/light rail transit system in Tucson.  The high capacity modern streetcar/light rail transit system will connect the University Medical Center, University of Arizona, University Maingate Business District, 4th Avenue, Downtown Tucson and Rio Nuevo.  This project is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it will provide greater mobility between the region's largest activity centers, support economic development, support the University of Arizona's development master plan, sustain the viability of the center city's historic districts, improve air quality, relieve traffic congestion, reduce accidents along the corridor, and provide improved connections with the City's existing public transit system.

Valencia/Wilmont/Barraza/Aviation Parkway – Pima County, $3,000,000:  Funding will be used for the construction of the Valencia/Wilmot/Barraza-Aviation Parkway Connection located at the geographic center of the Tucson region.  Valencia Road will be extended to six-lanes and new grade separated intersections will be constructed at Wilmot Road and Kolb Road and Wilmot Road and the Union Pacific Railroad.  This construction project is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it directly impacts the area’s future job growth by providing a link between the Interstate highway system and warehouses, distribution centers and trans-loading facilities in Tucson.  Without the Valencia/Wilmot/Barraza-Aviation Parkway Connection’s construction, the Arizona Department of Transportation has projected that the intersections connecting the city and this area would become too congested and, as a result, will have a negative impact on commerce between Tucson International Airport and downtown Tucson.