March 01, 2021
U.S. Senators Eye RRIF Program Improvements Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Maggie Hassan’s (D-N.H.) bipartisan legislation would build on the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF) Express program and make it more viable for short lines.
Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) have reintroduced the Railroad Rehabilitation and Financing Innovation Act to provide dedicated funding for RRIF financing costs, streamline the application process, and extend loan terms for certain assets.
• Establishing an expedited credit review process for loans that meet certain financial and operational criteria.
Thune, Hassan Reintroduce Bill to Improve Railroad Infrastructure dakotawarcollege.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dakotawarcollege.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Pavement damage from recent winter storms is already appearing on Oklahoma roads.
Credit Oklahoma Department of Transportation
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation has received $154 million from the federal coronavirus relief package passed in December.
State Secretary of Transportation and ODOT Executive Director Tim Gatz plans to put a portion of that into the agency’s asset preservation fund. He said the timing of a cash infusion for road repairs couldn’t be better. I can’t emphasize enough the impact that two weeks of subfreezing weather conditions are going to have on our pavement structures for the springtime, Gatz told the Oklahoma Transportation Commission last week.
February 19, 2021 By Jim Myers
Washington, D.C. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers offered assurances the Inland Waterways Users Board is not being eliminated or revamped despite being suspended along with other advisory committees by the Department of Defense.
“We do not believe that is the case,” Corps spokesman Eugene Pawlik said in a written statement.
“The Inland Waterways Users Board is a legislated advisory committee, subject to FACA (Federal Advisory Committee Act), so it cannot be abolished without Congressional action.”
Pawlik also pointed out even the “criteria to qualify for membership is in the law, and we are unaware of any effort to revamp this advisory committee.”
$30.5 billion in Federal Funding for nation’s transit systems announced today.
U.S. Department of Transportation
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) [yesterday] announced it is seeking applicants for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 round of the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) discretionary grant program.
INFRA grants will fund transportation projects of national and regional significance that are in line with the Biden Administration’s priorities including creating good-paying jobs, improving safety, applying transformative technology, and explicitly addressing climate change and racial equity. The funding available for this year’s grants totals approximately $889 million.
The Department recognizes the role that infrastructure investment plays in economic development and job creation, and the added urgency of this funding at time when the COVID-19 pandemic has put stress on state and local budgets.