U.S. Rep. Nick J. Rahall (D-WV) used his seniority on the House Transportation Committee to add an earmark of $16 million for the Nick J. Rahall, II Appalachian Transportation Institute (RTI) at Marshall University to the House transportation bill before the final version passed the U.S. House of Representatives today. "This funding that I was able to secure will help Marshall University expand upon its good work on transportation research and become one of the premiere institutions for transportation research in the Nation," said Rahall.

RTI was established at Marshall University through a $12 million grant that Rahall secured in the last major transportation bill in 1998. RTI is one of a handful transportation centers in the country to receive this type of funding. The $16 million Rahall secured in this bill will be spread out over the life of the bill. RTI will receive $2 million in 2005, and $3.5 million per year between 2006 and 2009. Additionally, in this bill, the federal money will be matched dollar for dollar bringing the total RTI funding to $32 million.

"This funding will help RTI research our transportation system in West Virginia and create plans for future projects to improve safety and efficiency of our roadways," said Rahall. "It will help open our state up to new businesses and tourism opportunities, which will create even more new jobs for southern West Virginia. Like the slogan of RTI, I am continuing my efforts to build jobs through transportation in our area."

Rahall helped pass the final version of the much anticipated transportation bill through the U.S. House of Representatives today after months and months of work in committee and conference. The bill will fund transportation projects across the Nation for five years. The bill, Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (TEA LU), H.R. 3, passed the House by an overwhelming bipartisan vote. Rahall helped secure an annual average of $404 million in the bill specifically for West Virginia's transportation needs over the next five years, and $126.8 million earmarked for local projects. After the additional State funding, Rahall secured a total of $165 million for southern West Virginia projects.

"West Virginia is a big winner with this transportation bill," said Rahall. "This bill will create good jobs, jobs that pay workers well, all across southern West Virginia. The Department of Transportation estimates that 47,500 new jobs are created for every $1 billion spent on transportation nationally. Clearly, this bill will put West Virginians to work and bring many job opportunities to our area."

The $404 million per year for West Virginia will allow the State to make significant progress in improving its transportation infrastructure, including several high-priority construction projects. Due in large part to the work of Congressman Rahall, the $404 million per year West Virginia will receive is an increase of over 30% from the last highway bill. "This funding is long overdue, and now we can finally get these projects under way and let the rubber meet the road," said Rahall.