Contact: Ernie Blazar 202-224-7627 Shana Stribling 224-0309
Thursday, July 12, 2001

* $10 million for Kansas City Central Corridor Light Rail transit project. Will help with phase III preliminary engineering of the project if it is approved by Kansas City voters later this year. The project being considered will include 25 miles of light rail/streetcar linking southern and eastern portions of Kansas City with the plaza, Crown Center and downtown with a continuation across the Missouri River to approximately 32nd street. Preliminary design would be finished 12-02. If voters approve the project, Bond will pursue inclusion of the project in the federal waiting list for mass transit funding.

* $10 million for Kansas City Area Transit Authority bus and radio equipment. Funds will help replace aging bus fleet. Average age of KCATA large bus is 9.7 years, above national average of 8.5 years. KCATA has 113 buses over 12 years old which are growing more costly to maintain. Contact Mark Huffer, KCATA General manager, 816-346-0200.

* $8 million, for McDonald County, south of Neosho, Route 71 improvements. The money will help improve safety by providing funds to grade the bridges for a four-lane, divided freeway from .8 mile north of Route EE to .9 miles south of Route EE for a total length of 1.7 miles. This project is one in a series to construct a freeway on a new alignment from I-44 to the Arkansas state line.

* $8 million for St. Louis Bi-state Development Authority bus and bus facilities. Will help replace aging bus fleet. Funds will help buy new buses, build a training track and replace bus facilities’ roofs. Contact Bi-State Development Agency Thomas Irwin, 314-982-1588.

* $5 million, I-44, Fenton Industrial Corridor, St. Louis County. The money will help fund the first stage of a three-year implementation program for redesign and reconstruction of interchange and circulation road facilities. Funds will help mitigate area accident rate. Area experienced 803 accidents in the four years, almost 50 percent higher than the national average.

* $3 million, Highway-61 interchange construction, Avenue of the Saints, near Moscow Mills, Missouri. Part of the National Corridor Planning and Border Infrastructure Program to facilitate safe movement of people and goods throughout North America.

* $2 million for Southeast Missouri job access and reverse commute grant studies.

* $2.8 million, Columbia, Older Adults Transportation Service (OATS). This money will help the OATS non-profit service provide better transportation service to senior citizens, the disabled and other rural residents in 87 Missouri counties. Bond secured $750,000 for OATS last year. OATS: 573-443-4516 or 888-875-6287.

* $1.5 million, St. Louis Intelligent Transportation Systems. This money will help fund the portion of the project aimed at targeting major river crossings and major highway interchanges and additional incident management efforts. Goal is to increase motorist and roadway freight safety while reducing drive times and combating traffic congestion on I-55, I-64, I-70, I-255 and I-270.

* $3 million, St. Louis Lambert Field International Airport, cable loop relocation project. Funds will help accomodate additional navigational aids at Lambert which is critical before opening new runway. Existing cable loop is incompatible with airport expansion and must be relocated. Contact: Leonard Griggs, 314-426-8000, Lambert Director.

* $2.4 million, St. Louis, Lambert Field International Airport, terminal air traffic control facilities.

* $1 million, Springfield city center streetscape improvements. This money will help revitalize the center of Springfield with medians, pedestrian lighting, signs and landscaping needed to create park-like boulevards along the edge of Jordan Valley Park.

* $1 million, Missouri Soybean Association, Jefferson City. This money will help the MSA with its statewide transit demonstration with biodiesel fuel.

* $100,000, Mexico Municipal Airport. Automated Weather Observing System.