By Staff
WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Fred Upton (R-St. Joseph) was successful in securing $12.8 million to widen I-94 in the highway bill that passed the House Friday.
Upton secured the funding in The Conference Report for the Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (TEA-LU). The bipartisan measure overwhelmingly passed the House by a vote of 412 to 8. The $286.5 billion measure, generated from the federal gas tax, will provide federal funding for the nation's highway and transit programs through 2009. Upon Senate approval, which was expected late Friday, the measure will head to President Bush to be signed into law. Michigan's overall share will increase by 27 percent, topping $1 billion in average annual funding.
"The highway bill has hit some speed bumps over the last two and a half years, but with the Senate not far behind us, its full speed ahead for the highway bill and the widening of I-94," said Upton.
"Without this funding, the widening of I-94 would be decades away. The state has also designated the widening of I-94 as a priority as well. This project will improve the quality of life for each and every driver - drastically reducing the time motorists are stuck in traffic. Michigan's overall piece of the pie increases as well, topping over a billion dollars each year - this is a good bill that will help create jobs and spur economic growth across the country, and right in our own backyard."
Upton's top transportation priority is the widening of I-94 from 4 lanes to 6 lanes between 12th Street to Sprinkle Road, a total of 6.9 miles. That portion of the freeway has one of the highest traffic volumes for a 4 lane freeway in the entire state of Michigan. Widening I-94 will greatly improve quality of life for the area's motorists.
"Our roadways are a lifeline, no question about it. They allow us to get to work, take our kids to school, run errands, enable the movement of commerce and allow tourists to visit our beautiful communities," said Upton. "When it comes to Southwest Michigan, I-94 is our economic and social backbone. Unfortunately, we are all too familiar, and this summer is no exception, with the constant traffic congestion along the highway. Traffic jams are commonplace, each and every day."
Upton was previously successful in securing nearly $4 million to assist the Michigan Department of Transportation in completing preliminary engineering of widening the I-94 corridor. Without that funding, the long overdue project would be decades away from completion.
The Conference Report for the Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users represents a $73 billion (+35 percent) increase over the amount provided in the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), the six-year bill enacted in 1998. It is estimated that for every $1 billion invested in America's transportation system through TEA-LU, more than 47,000 new jobs will be created to bring opportunity and spur economic growth in communities throughout the country.