This means that the state is only allowed to use federal money, including stimulus funding, for major projects from the old STIP list, the one that was made four years ago. Does anyone think that the big projects at the bottom of a 4-year old list are our best bets, given what’s happened with energy, our economy, and climate change?
That’s why we’re spending all of our stimulus transportation money on repaving, fixing signs and guardrails-and now a $114 million bus line upgrade.
Until and unless the Legislature dedicates adequate state revenue to transportation, you can forget about being innovative and transforming our transportation system. Forget about getting people out of their cars and addressing global warming, pollution and congestion!
A footnote: Ten years ago, Georgia was in a similar position. They didn’t straighten things out until the EPA froze $700 million of their federal transportation funds, which launched an economic crisis in Atlanta.
This is a very interesting post, but it needs backup.
http://vps28478.inmotionhosting.com/~bluema24/d…
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p>We are wasting the opportunities provided by ARRA, and this should be on the front burner of discussion.
In December 2007, former Secreatry of Transportation Cohen received a letter from Federal Highway and Federal Transit Region 1 Administrators in response to the state’s request for approval of the FY 2008-2011 STIP stating that the state could not access federal funds for STIP projects until the state proved that its financing was fiscally constrained. Initially, they were satisfied if the state passed a transportation bond bill to cover the state’s 20% match. But as time passed and the state did not issue bonds the fed administrators were no longer satisfied with just passing a bond bill — they wanted to be shown the $$$.
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p>During the last two years of the Romney administration there was not state funding for the STIP projects. The backlog of projects have grown, the costs have escalated. And now, the state is stuck, it can only use federal money for projects approved in the FY 2004-2007 STIP.
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p>At a time when the state is in dire financial circumstances our legislature is kissing off the 4 to 1 federal funding match for desperately needed transportation projects. The only thing that will get the state into a position to access these funds for projects that will serve the state’s current and future needs is through a substantial increase in the gas tax) at least 19 cents. The governor is right about that.
For the Past 18 years we have had leadership in Massachusetts who have run screaming from a room that suggested we needed more revenue to keep our infrastructure strong and to develop a 21st century system. From the house, the senate and the governors office we have lacked vision and leadership.
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p>Two Months ago the Governor Deval Patrick tried to suggest the .19 cent a gallon tax yet he did not provide critical details such as this to help justify his case, nor as I look back does it appear that the 19 cents would do little more then help pay down the financial disastrous the state created to fund the big dig. This hole in the ground is slowly sucking the life’s blood out of the transportation system, which is certainly now in ICU, and last rights have been provided. When the big dig is done wit this system what is next HHS or DCR????
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p>In so many cases we stand waiting for the information and open honesty that is needed to discuss the real needs of the Commonwealth and until we receive it we are likely to find out that we have lost it all.
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p>Great Post Andre! Lets see if Doug Rubin is reading and willing to weigh in. Losing a 4to1 match because we cannot get the momentum behind this issue is a real lack of leadership. Not to mention a crime to allow this dying transportation system wither and die. Been on 128 lately AM or PM how about 93 South in the AM? How about standing at Alewife because the Red line is down again? Have you ever tried to get from Woburn to Waltham in under 2 ½ hours by public transportation and forget catching a ride from South Station if your not on the south shore getting from North station to South station is a role of the dice. Do we need reforms you bet but we also need a plan and so far we have only mixed signals WAKE UP!
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p>As Usual just my Opinion!
It’s a travesty.
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p>Thousands of construction workers are waiting for the kind of jobs these 80%-federally-funded projects could create — think Green Line extension, Red to Blue connector, Blue line extension, commuter rail Lowell to Nashua, etc.
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p>Unfortunately the money will go to other states instead because Beacon Hill refuses to stop its 20-year streak of paying for transportation with nothing but empty promises.
The feds have put pressure on Mass. Transportation officials in the past to restructure the highly-centralized decision-making process for funding transportation projects. Maybe the semi-frozen federal funding is another attempt to get the state transportation bureaucracy to put more power in the hands of regional decision-making groups (Metropolitan Planning Organizations, known as MPO’s).
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p>In November, there was a lot of discussion on BMG about toll and gas tax hikes. As we all know, state transportation officials had for many years sucked up any transporation dollars that weren’t nailed down (and even some that were) to spend on the Big Dig. The lack of sufficient funds was a problem, but the culture that allowed these officials to make empty promises and to divert funds from other projects was the more fundamental root of the problem.
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p>Maybe the Feds are trying again to force restructuring of MPOs so that the state doesn’t always control 51% or more of the votes. Given the track record, it would be a good benefit to Mass. taxpayers to break up that transportation politburo before we raise the gas tax and put the whole revenue stream in their incompetent hands again.