Press Release

April 5, 2004

$16 Million For 2nd District Transportation Projects

WASHINGTON, D.C.  Passing the House by a vote of 357 to 65 Friday afternoon, the Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy For Users  (TEU-LU) contains $16 million for Georgia's Second District. The funding will go towards 22 high priority transportation projects in Southwest Georgia that Congressman Bishop submitted for funding.

"Improving transportation is not only good for our communities and our families it is at the heart of bringing economic development and jobs to Southwest Georgia.  Department of Transportation studies have concluded that every billion dollars invested in transportation means the creation of 47,500 jobs for Americans," said Congressman Bishop. "At the end of the day, this is why I fought for these projects and why I voted for the bill."

TEA-LU (H.R. 3550) authorizes $275 billion over six years for the nation's highways, public transit, and safety and research programs, a 26% increase over the 1998 Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21). This bill exceeds President Bush's proposal by $19 billion.  The legislation will now go to a joint House-Senate conference committee to negotiate and harmonize the House-passed and Senate-passed versions of the transportation bill. The House bill is $43 Billion less than the Senate-passed version.

Highway Projects for the Second District in H.R. 3550:

Project Description: Dollars
Dougherty/Colquitt Co - SR 133 upgrade $1,000,000
Tift/Lowndes/Turner Co. I - 75 widening from 4-8 lanes $1,000,000
Flint River Bridge (Albany, GA); right of way acquisition, construction $1,000,000
Tift County - Truck bypass - I - 75 at Oakridge Road  $500,000
Streetscape - Bainbridge, GA  $600,000
Streetscape - Albany, GA  $1,000,000
Infantry Museum Transportation Network - Columbus, GA  $1,000,000
Uptown Jogging, Bicycle, Trolley Trail - Columbus, GA  $1,425,000
Project Description (continued.) Dollars
Streetscape - Richland, GA  $500,000
South Lumpkin Road Trail - Columbus, GA  $1,000,000
Streetscape - Dawson, GA   $500,000
Phase III Streetscape - Columbus, GA  $1,500,000
Streetscape - Quitman, GA  $75,000
Streetscape - Thomasville, GA  $500,000
Streetscape - Cordele, GA  $500,000
Streetscape - Ashburn, GA  $400,000
US 27 reconstruction and rehabilitation, Colquitt to County Road 279/Damascus-Hilton Road.
 $1,000,000 Bus, Bus Facility and Passenger Intermodal Centers for the Second District in H.R. 3550: Bus Replacement Program - Albany, GA $500,000
Intermodal Facility - Sylvester, GA $300,000
Bus Replacement Program - Thomasville, GA $200,000
Regional Rural Transit Bus Project - Quitman, Clay, Randolph and Stewart Counties $500,000
Multi-modal facility - Albany GA $1,000,000

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