U.S. House Approves Transportation Corrections Bill

Legislation will save Arizona communities millions in highway improvements WASHINGTON, D.C. Congressman Rick Renzi (AZ-1) voted to support long awaited legislation to make technical corrections to a large transportation package that was originally passed by Congress in 2005. The corrections bill passed the House by a vote of 358-51. The Senate passed the bill two weeks ago. The legislation, H.R. 1195 - To amend the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act (SAFETEA- LU) bill: A Legacy for Users to make technical corrections, and for other purposes, makes technical corrections to many highway, road, and transit provisions included in the 2005 SAFETEA-LU bill, which provided $286 billion in funding for important transportation projects nationwide. A key provision contained in H.R. 1195 would lessen the local share of funding for federally supported road projects in Arizona. The local financial burden is changed from 20 percent to 5.7 percent of the total cost, which will save Arizonas communities millions of dollars. This will affect both future projects and those in the planning phase. In the 2005 SAFETEA-LU bill, Congressman Renzi secured $2.96 million in funding for the planning and design of a bridge over Tonto Creek. Due to the new prescribed formula adjustment, Gila County will save $561,000 during the initial phase of the project. This will have a direct impact on the communitys ability to move on to the next phase and begin construction. This legislation saves Gila County tax payers over half a million dollars on the Tonto Creek Bridge project, Congressman Renzi said. Furthermore, communities across Arizona now have a greater ability to address current transportation concerns, as well as those that will affect our state in the future as our population continues to expand. Other provisions in H.R. 1195 will make available over $1 billion in funding for thousands of projects nationwide, including $4 million for important road projects in rural Arizona.