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The House is set to vote today on legislation which includes funding for transportation. H.R. 3288, the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2010, includes three projects requested by Rep. Tom Petri in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and local officials.
The bill includes $950,000 from the Airport Improvement Program (a program to provide grants for airport infrastructure projects) for reconstruction of the primary runway at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh. This is one of the largest projects in the state with a total cost of $13 million. The northern 6,000 feet of the runway have been designated at below the minimum service level. "Obviously, we need to take care of this," said Petri.
$500,000 in federal highway funds is included to complete a study and begin construction of an overpass across the Wisconsin Central Rail Yard on Lake Shore Drive in the Village of North Fond du Lac. The rail yard is the largest of its kind in Wisconsin, and access at Lake Shore Drive is frequently blocked due to trains parked on the tracks.
"The inconvenience to residents is a serious concern, but it's simply unacceptable to have police, fire and ambulance services blocked from efficient operations," said Petri.
The overpass will allow for the safe and efficient passage of rail traffic through the community while allowing for the delivery of essential services to residents of the community. The overpass will consist of a 532-foot bridge span across the yard and access ramps to the connecting roads on both sides of the structure.
Also included is $250,000 to purchase 35-foot replacement accessible buses and related fare box equipment for the Fond du Lac Area Transit System. Funding is from the Federal Transit Administration's "Buses and Bus Facilities" account which provides funding for such projects.
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