Projects Selected to Benefit from The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 in the GTC Transportation Improvement Program Area

On February 18, 2009, the Genesee Transportation Council (GTC) held a special meeting to select projects to benefit from funding provided via The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) that was enacted by President Obama the previous day. This economic stimulus legislation is providing approximately $74.1 million in highway and bridge funding through the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to the seven-county GTC Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) Area, which includes Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Wayne, and Wyoming counties. In addition, approximately $15.8 million in funding through the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is provided directly to the Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority (RGRTA). Originally, GTC anticipated receiving $72.9 million in FHWA funding and $11.2 million in FTA funding to RGRTA via ARRA. The TIP identifies and schedules the specific transportation improvements that will receive FHWA and FTA funding over the next five years.

The ARRA includes strict “use it or lose it” provisions that require that at least $30 million of the FHWA funding to the GTC TIP Area must be obligated to specific projects by June 30, 2009 (120 days from apportionment of ARRA funding to FHWA) with the remainder of the funds obligated by March 2, 2010. On the FTA side, 50 percent of the $15.8 million must be obligated by September 1, 2009 (180 days from apportionment of ARRA funding to FTA) with the remainder of the funds obligated by March 1, 2010.

Sponsors of projects selected to receive funds from the ARRA are subject to strict reporting requirements (as determined by FHWA, FTA, and the NYS Department of Transportation) to ensure that all applicable design and permitting processes are being followed and that the projects are advancing in a timely manner so as to meet the “use it or lose it” provisions of the legislation. The GTC TIP Area has sufficiently advanced the projects selected to benefit from funding provided via ARRA to meet these “use it or lose it” provisions.

GTC conducted a public review period from January 9, 2009 through February 9, 2009 that identified 249 projects totaling $315 million to be considered for the approximately $85 million of FHWA and FTA funding available to the TIP area via the ARRA.

Each of the proposed highway and bridge projects was evaluated using criteria that assessed the readiness of the project (i.e., could it be ready for obligation by June 2009), the physical condition of the road or bridge, the current use of the road or bridge (based on the most recent traffic counts), and the cost-effectiveness of the project as measured by the cost relative to how long before additional repairs would be needed. Consistent with ARRA, a criterion was included to give priority to those projects located either wholly or partially within an economically-distressed area as defined by Title 42 Chapter 38 of the U.S. Code.

Each of the proposed public transportation projects were evaluated based on the degree to which they would improve the convenience and attractiveness of the transit system and what level of operating cost efficiencies would be gained.

The projects selected by GTC to receive funding provided via the ARRA were those that best achieved the following:

• Create jobs immediately – the primary intent of the ARRA is to stimulate the economy by creating jobs that will lead to increased direct, indirect, and induced economic activity through greater consumer spending, which accounts for approximately two-thirds of all economic activity in the nation.
• Provide lasting benefits – funds from the ARRA are taxpayer dollars and should be directed to projects that will improve the safety of the transportation system for the travelling public and contribute to economic development.
• Reduce future expenditures – projects selected to receive funds from the ARRA are those that are the most cost-effective and will prolong the useful life of our highways and bridges, saving the region millions of dollars by not having to totally reconstruct or replace them years earlier than if the projects funded through the ARRA had not been implemented.

In addition to the Selected projects (those scheduled to receive the $74.1 million in FHWA and $15.8 million in FTA funds), the GTC Board also identified and prioritized a list of Illustrative projects to receive funding provided via ARRA should additional funds become available to the region through redistribution of funds from other areas or savings on Selected projects.

Please note that GTC does not have information on when individual projects will be bid. Those interested in this information should contact the agency responsible for the operation and maintenance of the specific highway or bridge.

On June 18, 2009, the GTC Board took actions to revise the list of Selected projects and re-prioritize the list of Illustrative projects to receive ARRA funds. The current list of Selected and Illustrative projects to benefit from funding provided via ARRA in the GTC TIP Area along with a corresponding map can be downloaded below.

At the request of the New York State Department of Transportation, the GTC Board took additional action at its June 18, 2009 meeting to certify that the process used to identify Selected and Illustrative projects to receive ARRA funds wholly incorporated the prioritization criteria of the legislation. This action was accomplished by adopting Resolution 09-18.

The ARRA also requires that the Governor of each State and large urbanized area public transportation operators to certify that projects selected by Metropolitan Planning Organizations (including GTC) have met all Federal permitting (e.g., design, environmental, etc.) requirements. The certifications made by Governor David A. Paterson for highway, bridge, bicycle, and pedestrian projects throughout New York State can be viewed at http://www.recovery.ny.gov/Certifications/certifications.htm. The certification made by RGRTA for public transportation projects in the GTC TIP Area can be viewed at http://www.gtcmpo.org/ARRA/RGRTA_Sec.LaHood_121609.PDF.

For further information, please contact the Genesee Transportation Council at (585) 232-6240.

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