PennDOT's cadidate list for anticipated national economic stimulus plan

On Friday, January 16, 2009, PennDOT released its list of candidate highway/bridge and transit projects for the anticipated national economic stimulus plan. The stimulus plan, which has yet to be finalized, is expected to create a windfall of money to DOTs and transit agencies across the nation. While aid to deteriorating infrastructure is much needed, choosing the projects has been quite a challenge. Construction projects for economic stimulus must be ready for construction, fast. Fifty percent of the nation’s projects, approximately $30 billion worth, must be under contract 120 days after receiving funding. The fast turnaround was established to bring contracts, jobs, and money into the US economy quickly. Another stipulation of the stimulus package is that they money is “use it or lose it,” so states that position themselves well will have the opportunity to go after unused money while states that are not prepared to spend will be left behind. Commenting on the process of selecting projects, PennDOT Secretary Allen D. Biehler, P.E. said, “Our approach on highway and bridge candidate projects was based on two considerations. First, the project had to be in a position to move quickly. The thrust of the stimulus plan is to boost the economy as soon as possible. Second, we must use these anticipated additional resources to cut into the backlog of bridge, pavement and other infrastructure preservation needs we face.” As part of the candidate project list, PennDOT included projects to advance safety and Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) as well as those that address traffic bottlenecks. In GVF Transportation’s service area, the candidate projects include:

$120 million for bridge pavement and reconstruction on I-476
$19 million for bridge and pavement preservation
$6 million for ADA ramp reconstruction in Montgomery County
$18 million for Chester Valley Trail Phase I
$6 million for Route 30 pavement and bridge preservation
$1.2 million for ADA ramps in Chester County.

While the number of projects is not overwhelming, the amount of money is. The I-476 bridge is by far the most costly project for the entire state. SEPTA’s economic stimulus funding is anticipated to be $ 4 million. Throughout the past several months, the agency has been diligently working to selects projects. SEPTA’s well-thought-out list of projects has focused primarily on spreading out the contracts across a variety of vendors and picking only projects they can definitely have contracts out for in 90 to 120 days. Many of the projects involve maintenance as well as improved technology and safety, which will create a more efficient SEPTA but may go largely unnoticed to the traveling public. Some of the more noteworthy projects include the Elywn-Wawa service restoration project.