Contact: Rob Ostrander 202.224.7627 Shana Stribling 202.224.0309
Friday, July 29, 2005

JEFFERSON CITY, MO – U.S. Senator Kit Bond, chairman of the Senate Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee, today announced that he secured $50 million for Missouri’s public transportation needs in the federal highway bill, which passed Congress today and will now be sent to the President to be signed into law.

“Public transportation is vital in both our nation’s metropolitan and rural areas. For many Missourians, public transportation is the only way to get to work, a doctor visit, or the grocery store,” said Bond. “I am pleased to be able to send federal dollars back to Missouri for critical bus and transit projects across the state.”

Bond secured federal funds for the following bus and transit projects:

* $17 million for the Older Americans Transportation Service;

* $16 million for St. Louis Metro Bus Upgrades;

* $10 million for the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority;

* $5 million for the St. Louis Metro Vandeventor metro bridge repair/reconstruction;

* $2 million for the Southeast Missouri Transportation Service;

* MetroSouth MetroLink Corridor extension ($135 million, 11 miles, authorization);

* Northside-Daniel Boone Corridors MetroLink extension ($275 million, 28 miles, authorization)

Bond, a key author of the federal highway bill, hailed the $286.5 billion legislation’s long-awaited passage. He stressed that the new bill will provide almost $1.3 billion in additional highway funding for Missouri over the life of the five-year bill. Bond was able to earmark $467.5 million for transportation projects statewide.

For years, Bond has fought to increase the return on the dollar that Missourians pay in federal transportation taxes. In the agreement today, Bond successfully fought to increase Missouri’s share to 98 cents on the dollar. In 1987, when Bond joined the Senate, Missourians received 76 cents on the dollar.

The new formula ensures that Missouri will receive more than $200 million in new highway dollars each year. Under the bill, Missouri will receive $862 million through the formula programs each year, up from $661 million in the last transportation bill.