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$50 Million Will Make Improvements to South Capitol Corridor
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, March 10, 2005
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Steny Hoyer and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton announced today that the House of Representatives passed a bill which approved major funds to improve the District of Columbia Metropolitan Area’s transportation infrastructure. The funds were included in the Transportation Reauthorization bill which authorizes federal funding for transportation projects over the next six years.
Federal funding was included in this bill for the South Capital Gateway project at the request of Congressman Hoyer and Congresswoman Norton and will provide funding for the rehabilitation of South Capitol Street and the Frederick Douglass Bridge.
The Transportation Reauthorization bill passed in both the House and the Senate last year, however, differences between the two bills were not worked out in a Conference Committee before the end of the 108th Congress.
“I have been a long time supporter of the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative and I see the restoration of the South Capitol Gateway as a critical component of this initiative,” said Congressman Hoyer. “The $50 million included in this bill builds on the recommendations of NCPC’s South Capitol Street Task Force that were released last week, the SCG Study that was completed in 2003, and the $7 million that was appropriated for fiscal year 2004. It is another step in the right direction to improve access to Washington, DC and increase the safety of residents, commuters and visitors as they travel into the city.”
“Steny has been our steadfast and indispensable partner on every aspect of the South Capitol Gateway,” said Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton. With the passage of TEA-LU today, Steny and I have joined forces in a big way from our respective positions on the Transportation Authorizing and Appropriations Subcommittees for an additional $50 million for the Frederick Douglass Bridge.”
“In the coming days I look forward to working with NCPC, and all of the South Capitol Gateway partners to secure the necessary resources and keep this process moving forward. Ultimately, I look forward to the day when this waterfront fulfills our vision as one of the most highly visited locations in Washington, DC,” Hoyer added.
Rehabilitation of South Capitol Street/Frederick Douglass Bridge, $50 million
Because the freeway system proposed for the District of Columbia was never finished, South Capitol Street and the Southeast-Southwest Freeway are incomplete fragments of that transportation network. In addition, the Frederick Douglass Bridge, like many other of the District’s bridges, is in poor shape. It has a sufficiency rating of 50, which means its structural adequacy, safety, serviceability, and function are seriously compromised.
This funding will rehabilitate the existing structure of the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge to ensure the safety of the traveling public until the bridge is replaced. The bridge was built in 1941 and was last rehabilitated in 1976. This funding will be used for structural rehabilitation, environmental studies and safety improvements of South Capitol Street and the Frederick Douglass Bridge.
Congressman Hoyer has secured more than $30 million over the years for projects to improve the water quality of the Anacostia River and to restore the health and natural beauty of the river and the surrounding natural resources. As a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, and a member of the subcommittee that funds the U.S. Transportation Department, Congressman Hoyer also secured $500,000 in federal funds to conduct a study of the South Capitol Street Corridor, and secured $11.5 million in fiscal years 2004 and 2005 for the rehabilitation of South Capitol Street and the Frederick Douglass Bridge.
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