Senators Specter and Casey Announce Final Approval of Pennsylvania Transportation and Housing Projects

Washington, D.C. – March 12, 2009 – (RealEstateRama) — U.S. Senators Arlen Specter and Bob Casey announced today that the U.S. Congress has approved federal funding for several Pennsylvania transportation and housing projects as contained in the Fiscal Year 2009 Omnibus Appropriations bill.

“I am pleased that my colleagues have recognized the importance of these transportation and housing projects in Pennsylvania,” said Senator Specter. “These projects are necessary advancements to improve our roadways, mass transit infrastructure, and housing sites and are an important force for economic growth in our local communities.”

“This money for economic development and transportation projects is great news for Pennsylvania and I am grateful Congress approved this funding,” said Senator Casey. “Affordable housing and community redevelopment is vitally important to the future of our communities across the Commonwealth.”

Funding has been approved for the following Pennsylvania projects:
*House Members that also supported a project are indicated in parenthesis

• $4.275 million for Flight 93 Memorial Access Roads in Somerset County. Funding will support the construction of roads, utilities, parking and improved site drainage from US 30 to increase access to the national memorial which honors the passengers and crew of Flight 93. (Shuster, Murtha)

• $2.85 million for the Red Rose Transit Authority in Lancaster County to support continued development and construction of the Queen Street Bus Facility. This next phase will provide three additional bus berths and another outlet from the facility, thus eliminating excessive looping of buses in the downtown area.

• $2.375 million for Runway Rehabilitation at Philadelphia International Airport for improvements to Runway 9R/27L. This runway is one of the airport’s main runways requires new surfacing in order to be safe for aircraft operations. (Brady)

• $1,662,500 for Freedom Road Improvements in Butler County. The improvements in Cranberry Township will include widening from two lanes to four lanes, a signal system installation, and intersection upgrades. The road is currently carrying 140 percent more vehicles per day than the capacity for which it was designed.

• $950,000 for the Scranton New York City Rail project to complete engineering and begin construction of the passenger rail service line between Scranton and New York City.

• $950,000 for the PA High Speed MAGLEV Project. Funding will support the continued development of a 54 mile high speed Maglev system that would connect Greensburg to Pittsburgh International Airport via downtown Pittsburgh.

• $950,000 for the City of Wilkes-Barre Coal Street Park Revitalization Project in Luzerne County. Funding will be used for revitalization of economic and recreational amenities at Coal Street Park, which is one of its premiere parks and is located near one of the City’s major gateways. (Kanjorski)

• $712,500 for the construction of a bridge over Brandywine Creek in Chester County. The Downingtown bridge will provide a vital connection to facilitate sufficient access to several large redevelopment sites throughout the borough.

• $475,000 to improve the Market Frankford subway station at 5th and Market Streets in Philadelphia. The renovations will maximize capacity for ridership and improve passenger safety.

• $475,000 for the City of Philadelphia’s Avenue of the Arts Revitalization and Streetscaping Project in Philadelphia County. This funding will provide for new lighting on Broad Street and major intersection streets between 13th and 15th.

• $475,000 for the City of Allentown’s Old Allentown Streetscape Improvements in Lehigh County. This funding will provide for street lighting, street trees, new ADA compliant handicap ramps, curbing and sidewalk replacement for the purpose of enhancing safety and promoting community revitalization. (Dent)

• $475,000 for the City of Easton’s Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative in Northampton County. The funding would expand the City of Easton’s comprehensive neighborhood revitalization strategy by extending its housing rehabilitation and homeownership assistance program.

• $190,000 for Our City Reading in Berks County to rehabilitate abandoned houses with the goal of rehabilitating 100 homes every year. Our City Reading provides quality homeownership opportunities to low income families.

• $190,000 to the Centre County Industrial Development Corporation in State College for a neighborhood revitalization project as part of a West End revitalization initiative. The multi year effort is aimed at the revitalization of the Borough’s West End, focusing on mixed use development and encouraging development that will reuse existing buildings and foster residential and non residential uses.

• $190,000 for the City of Carbondale in Lackawanna County for a downtown revitalization initiative. The City’s Pioneer Plaza project is a public/private partnership aimed at stimulating the local economy.

• $190,000 for Ogontz Avenue Revitalization Corporation in Philadelphia to support a housing initiative. The Corporation identifies and acquires severely deteriorated and dilapidated homes with the goal of rehabilitating the vacant properties to be sold to low and moderate income families.

• $190,000 for Armstrong County for site preparation and redevelopment to complete remediation of a brownfield site in Apollo Borough. Site preparation and redevelopment of the former Metal Services property is necessary to proceed with infrastructure improvements and development of a light industrial park, which will attract business to the Alle Kiski Valley.

• $380,000 for the 69th Street Terminal Parking Facility in Delaware County. The site, across from the 69th Street Terminal, will alleviate parking concerns for local businesses and commuters alike. (Sestak)

• $475,000 for the AMTRAN Joint Development Project in Altoona, PA. Funding will be used to support redevelopment of a brownfield site that has the potential to save AMTRAN money, solve space problems and result in a long-term revenue stream for public transportation operations. (Shuster)

• $475,000 for Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority (LANTA) for bus purchases in Lehigh County. Funding will be used to help LANTA purchase heavy-duty transit buses to improve and expand public transportation services throughout the Lehigh Valley. (Dent)

• $475,000 for the Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority to help construct a new transit facility in Erie County. The current facility is undersized, allowing no room for growth in personnel or fleet vehicles, and is improperly shaped, resulting in operational deficiencies, safety issues and on-going emissions problems. (English)

• $475,000 for the Port Authority of Allegheny County for assistance with the purchase of hybrid buses. Hybrid buses are proven to reduce fuel consumption, maintenance costs and emissions to improve air quality. (Doyle)

• $237,500 for US 422 River Crossing Complex Project in Montgomery County. This project will relieve traffic congestion, support economic vitality in the area and increase safety for drivers on US 422. (Sestak)

• $475,000 for Veteran’s Memorial Bridge in Beaver County. The construction of this bridge over the Beaver River will ease the movement of emergency vehicles to the local Medical Center and also ease the residential, vehicular and truck traffic. (Altmire)