Wsdot - Oberstar Letter 11-09

 

Paula J. Hammond Secretary of Transportation

November 13, 2009

Transportation Building 310 Maple Park Avenue S.E. P.O. Box 47300 Olympia, WA 98504-7300 360-705-7000 TTY: 1-800-833-6388 www.wsdot.wa.gov

The Honorable Jim Oberstar United States Congress Chair, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee 2165 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 Dear Representative Oberstar: Thank you for your continued efforts to pass an appropriately funded, multi-year surface transportation bill. We appreciate the challenges Congress faces on this issue, and other issues competing for your attention and federal funding. Washington State, like the rest of the nation, has a large backlog of multi-modal projects that will increase mobility and safety, improve our climate, and boost employment and economic recovery. Advancing the projects that deliver those benefits to our communities is greatly hampered by the lack of a long-term federal transportation bill and uncertain funding. In our state there are 148 state and local agency projects, worth $751 million, which can be obligated within 120 days of enacting a multi-year bill. Design work for these projects is either complete or nearly complete. While we haven’t estimated the specific employment impact of those projects, clearly there would be an immediate and positive impact on creating or preserving jobs. WSDOT’s highway preservation program is particularly impacted negatively by a short term extension. Federal funds provide the ongoing financial support for our highway and bridge preservation activities. A short term extension, especially at FFY 2009 enacted funding levels, inhibits our ability to address current preservation needs and planned reductions to the backlog of pavement and bridge preservation projects. A delayed multi-year bill will also hamper our ability to deliver our Strategic Highway Safety Plan and projects in our Bridge Replacement, Transportation Enhancements, and Safe Routes to Schools programs. We are hopeful that a multi-year bill can be approved before December 18th. If agreement cannot be reached, however, we urge you to support at least a six-month extension of SAFETEA-LU, funded at the original authorized levels, instead of a shorter length extension funded at the FFY 2009 level after rescissions. A longer-term extension will enable us to plan and deliver our projects more efficiently, and prepare adequately for the upcoming construction season.

November 13, 2009 Page 2

We are providing this letter to Representatives Mica, DeFazio, and Duncan; Senators Boxer and Inhofe, USDOT Secretary LaHood, and our state's Congressional delegation. We will also be asking transportation stakeholders in our state to contact you. A long-term bill is important to efficient multi-year planning, programming and project delivery in all transportation modes. Please let us know how we can further help you with these issues.

Paula J. ammond, P.E. Secretary of Transportation pJH:jaa