In an effort to make the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport more accessible to users, Congressman Zach Wamp (R-TN) announces that the 2003 House Transportation spending bill includes funding to build a road on the airport property that would lead to more hangar space. As Tennessee's only Member of Congress on the House Appropriations Committee, Wamp worked with U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY), Chairman of the Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, to ensure that funding for this project was specifically included in the legislation that passed the full House Appropriations Committee late Tuesday evening.

"This appropriation allows us to build a new road which opens up a previously isolated part of the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport," said Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker. "We believe that this link will allow for more development on property that was previously inaccessible and expand private and corporate aviation at our airport."

The 2003 spending bill also includes $750,000 for the City of Chattanooga to conduct a regional transportation study to review different types of transportation and to closely examine what would work best in North Georgia and East Tennessee. "The City Council and Mayor Corker should be commended for their leadership and vision. Clearly the inter-modal transportation system between Chattanooga and Atlanta should be studied carefully so public investments will reap the highest benefit possible as we integrate air, surface and rail transportation for the future," said Congressman Wamp.

"Congressman Wamp provides great leadership and advocacy for Chattanooga," added Mayor Corker. "Improved transportation for our city is a key priority for us and the funding which Congressman Wamp has secured for Chattanooga's Regional Transportation Study will help us as we work to find ways of improving our region's rail capabilities and air service."

Other important projects included in the 2003 Transportation spending bill are:

*$10 million for new buses and bus facilities across the state of Tennessee. This investment will be used to fund bus replacement and bus maintenance on existing buses.

*$500,000 is also included for the Electric Transit Vehicle Institute (ETVI) in Chattanooga to promote the use of electric and hybrid-electric buses across the United States.

* $4.4 million for the continued development of the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) that are being developed by the Chattanooga Area Regional Transit Authority (CARTA) as a national model to track the location of buses as they travel. This cutting-edge technology improves the efficiency of the bus system and helps identify operational problems while dramatically cutting costs and improving communications.

* $500,000 for Chattanooga's "Access to Jobs" transportation program that encourages low-income Tennesseans to use public transportation to get to their jobs sites.