A quick look at the week of October 25, 2010:
It's the Great Pumpkin:
Quote: “My favorite image will be the one I take tomorrow.” – Pete Souza, Chief Official White House Photographer and Director of the White House Photography Office, in a live video chat on WhiteHouse.gov. http://wh.gov/3wX and Souza's ten favorite photos: http://wh.gov/3mnCross posted from the Department of Transportation's blog.
Today, the Obama Administration and the Department of Transportation are awarding $2.4 billion for planning and construction of intercity passenger rail service. With these 54 projects in 23 states, we're moving full-speed ahead toward a nationwide high-speed rail system.
President Obama signed the Recovery Act to build bridges between the Americans who needed jobs and the infrastructure jobs that needed doing. One of those jobs was creating a 21st century rail system in the United States.
The $8 billion in the Recovery Act for high-speed rail was step one, a down payment on a national network that, within 25 years, will give 80% of Americans the choice of traveling from downtown to downtown by high speed passenger train. With today's awards, we take a second step toward that future. A future that envisions riding from downtown Los Angeles to downtown San Francisco in two hours and forty minutes. Or Chicago to St. Louis in two hours. Or Tampa to Orlando in 55 minutes.
The intense demand for high-speed rail dollars demonstrates just how important this historic initiative is. We received 132 applications for $8.8 billion, more than three times the funding Congress made available. Across the country, states are seeing the future and clamoring for passenger rail routes. That's why we've already expanded to include a route from Iowa City to Chicago--running through the Quad Cities--and a route in Michigan connecting Detroit to Chicago via Kalamazoo. States understand that high-speed rail represents a unique opportunity to revitalize our manufacturing base, spur economic development, and create jobs.
Workers will be needed to lay track and manufacture rail cars. And more than 30 rail manufacturers and suppliers, both domestic and foreign, have agreed to establish or expand bases of operations in the US if they are hired to build America's next generation high-speed lines. The Obama Administration secured this commitment to ensure that new jobs are created here at home.
And, because proximity to rail stations will be increasingly valuable, growing rail lines will also stimulate economic development.
There are other benefits beyond jobs, economic growth, and greater mobility. Rail routes will alleviate congestion on crowded highways and allow freight to flow more freely by truck. Train passengers will forego crowded airports often located more than an hour outside of a city's central business district. And all of these intercity routes will be cleaner and greener than our current options, easing our reliance on imported oil and mitigating carbon emissions on our environment.
Every vision this nation ever realized began with a few courageous steps. If we put off high-speed rail by saying it will take too long to build, then it will never happen. President Eisenhower took a step forward at the birth of the US Interstate Highway network in the 1950s, and today that system is the life-blood of American commerce and mobility. Now it's time for another bold step. The America I grew up in didn't just happen. Our nation's progress was only made possible through the imagination, investment, and hard work of those who came before. And I’m proud that, today, we’re adding to that legacy with President Obama's commitment to high speed rail.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Ready Reserve vessels from DOT's Maritime Administration (MARAD) housed emergency workers and served as a temporary headquarters for the Port of New Orleans. The Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration assisted in the design and operation of emergency fuel distribution networks, which were needed to provide gas and diesel for generators at local hospitals and to support emergency relief operations. And the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) initiated free transit service to temporary housing sites.
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) got to work fixing several key highways that had been dramatically disabled by Hurricane Katrina. One of the more striking of these disruptions was the I-10 Twin Spans bridge connecting the area east of New Orleans with Slidell, Louisiana. Emergency repairs were made immediately. But, since then, the FHWA has provided $800 million in sole-support for construction of a new, sturdier bridge. When opened in 2011, the bridge will help keep this vital supply and evacuation lifeline open in future storms.
More recently, the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act has helped DOT continue aiding Katrina rebuilding efforts. Thanks to the Recovery Act, the FHWA is fixing the interchange of I-10 and the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. Now, this interchange in Metairie serves more than 178,000 drivers daily--a number expected to grow to 246,000 by 2026--and is one of the worst traffic choke-points in all of Louisiana. Yet I-10 is one of the most important routes for goods and people into and out of New Orleans. A $51 million Recovery Act grant has fully funded flyover ramps to expand the interchange's capacity and adds capacity to local collector streets. In all, there are eight different projects improving various sections of I-10 in Jefferson and Orleans Parishes.
And the FTA has awarded more than $66 million in Recovery Act transit grants in Louisiana, $25 million in Mississippi, and $50 million in Alabama. Whether for repairs or expansion projects, these grants are helping position area transit agencies to provide better services to residents.
Immediately after Hurricane Katrina, the FTA established the "Bus Bridge" between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. For four years, evacuees in Baton Rouge could visit their properties, pursue repairs, and go to work in New Orleans via this service, dubbed LA Swift. Last year, thanks to FTA support, the emergency free service transitioned to a permanent, fee-based route, indicating that Gulf residents, even those who own cars, have embraced public transit as a beneficial way of getting around.
That's why FTA's dedication to improving transit services in the region has not faded. FTA recently announced improvements to public transit in New Orleans, including a new streetcar loop in the city's central business district. This urban circulator is expected to stimulate economic development along its route and enhance New Orleans' livability in years to come.
MARAD's America's Marine Highways program is also working to restore the shipping capabilities of the Mississippi River and its port communities. We recognize how critical it is to support jobs up and down the river. And our marine highways have the added benefit of reducing road congestion and greenhouse gas emissions for people who live in the region.As we look back on the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, of course we are reminded of how far we have yet to go to restore these communities. But this Administration is committed to helping Gulf residents rebuild, and here at DOT we will continue to do all we can to support that effort.