The UTCs conduct research that directly supports DOT priorities.

DOT’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), which administers the UTC program, selected 10 UTCs, two transit-focused UTCs and 10 regional UTCs. Each of the selected UTCs will receive a $3.5 million grant to match with funds from non-federal sources.

“With America’s population set to grow by 100 million over the next 40 years, high-speed rail will play a vital role in reducing congestion and meeting America’s long-term transportation challenges,” LaHood said in a written statement. “High speed rail projects like these in Georgia, North Carolina, and Washington, D.C., will employ local workers, use American-made materials and lay a strong foundation for future economic growth.”

The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) received a $4.1 million grant to complete a service development plan and environmental study for the 250 mile passenger rail corridor between Atlanta and Charlotte.

GDOT is contributing $1.125 million for this phase of the project. GDOT recently announced a new Multi-Modal Passenger Terminal in downtown Atlanta, which is being designed to accommodate high-speed rail service.

The District of Columbia Department of Transportation received $2.9 million to evaluate alternatives for rehabilitation or replacement of the Long Bridge over the Potomac River. The bridge, more than 100 years old, is the sole railroad bridge between Virginia and Washington, carrying nearly 90 passenger and freight trains daily. Rail service over the Long Bridge is expected to grow to nearly150 trains per day in the next twenty years. CSX, the company that owns the bridge, will contribute $100,000 to the study.

States in the Southeast High-Speed Rail Corridor have received nearly $581 million to develop high-speed rail service in the region.

Most recently, Virginia received $44.3 million for environmental analysis and preliminary engineering for the segment between Washington and Richmond.  North Carolina received $4 million for environmental and design work for the construction of a new connection between Raleigh and Richmond that could reduce travel time by one hour and 30 minutes from the current schedule.

Thirty-two states across the U.S. and the District of Columbia are currently laying the foundation for high-speed rail corridors that will link Americans with faster and more energy-efficient travel options. To date, the U.S. Department of Transportation has invested $10.1 billion to put American communities on track towards new and expanded rail access and improved reliability, speed, and frequency of existing service.

The bill, adopted 70-30 by the Senate and 298-121 by the House of Representatives, reduces the highway obligation limit by nearly $2 billion — a 4.8-percent reduction from last year’s level — and adds substantial additional funding for emergency relief, AASHTO reports in its AASHTO Journal.

The conference report lowers the highway obligation limitation from $41.107 billion to $39.144 billion, a reduction of $1.963 billion, according to the AASHTO report. The enacted version adds $1.662 billion in appropriations for emergency relief highway funding.

“We strive to be the leader in roadway safety,” said Acting Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty. “Safety is our highest priority and an essential component of every one of our state and local projects. This award for our Highway Safety Improvement Program drives us to continue efforts on innovative solutions that improve the safety of California’s roads for everyone.”

The software, known as “California’s Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Application and Evaluation Tool for Local Roadways,” also provides Caltrans a better way to analyze safety projects submitted by local agencies and award funding to those projects that will increase roadway safety the most.

Under Caltrans’ direction, the University of California Berkeley Safe Transportation Research and Education Center also contributed to the creation of the HSIP Tool.

The National Roadway Safety Awards is a biennial competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Roadway Safety Foundation to recognize roadway safety achievements that move the nation “toward zero deaths” on highways and local roads.

With the assistance of the HSIP tool, Caltrans awarded $75 million in federal funding to
179 safety projects statewide in Fiscal Year 2010-11. For more information about these projects, please visit: http://www.dot.ca.gov/docs/ApprovedprojectlistHSIP.pdf

The competitive transit grant awards were part of the DOT’s Bus Livability and State of Good Repair programs.

OCTA received five grants:

• OCTA was awarded $7.5 million for the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center (ARTIC), a project to provide for a multimodal transportation hub in Anaheim.

• $768,000 for OCTA’s Bike Share Station Pilot Program. This grant will fund OCTA’s Bike Share Station Pilot project, which will place bike sharing stations at commuter rail stations that have bus connections to provide better transit accessibility.

• $80,000 for OCTA’s Bus Stop Solar Lighting Project. This grant will enable OCTA to complete its Bus Stop Safety Program by installing the last remaining 100 solar lights at preselected bus stops throughout Orange County to enhance safety and accessibility.

• $828,000 for OCTA’s Underground Storage Removal and Replacement Project. These funds will assist planned efforts to remove and replace aging underground storage tanks.

• $160,000 for OCTA’s Methane Detection System Replacement and Modernization Project. These funds will permit OCTA to go forward to replace and modernize methane detection systems at OCTA bus-base facilities.

“We are committed to the President’s vision of a world-class rail network providing fast, efficient and affordable service,” said LaHood. “Closing these highway-rail grade crossings will allow travelers along the heavily-used Keystone Corridor to enjoy a reduction in their trip time with future train speeds boosted to 125-mph.”

The Keystone Corridor operates between New York, Philadelphia and Harrisburg and is Amtrak’s fourth most heavily traveled route. Since train speeds along the route were increased to 110 mph in 2006, ridership has grown by more than 37 percent to 1,227,075 passengers in 2010. The grants announced today will eliminate grade crossings in Mount Joy Borough, Rapho Township and Leacock Township, all in Lancaster County, PA. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and Amtrak will also contribute a combined $3.4 million for this project.

“Closing highway-rail grade crossings eliminates potential accidents,” said Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph C. Szabo. “We must keep safety at the forefront in the high-speed and intercity passenger rail program.”

Funding also includes engineering and environmental work for the redesign of track crossings and improvements to train control signal systems.

A strict “Buy America” requirement for high-speed rail projects ensures that U.S. manufacturers and workers will receive the maximum economic benefits from this federal investment. In 2009, Secretary LaHood secured a commitment from 30 foreign and domestic rail manufacturers to employ American workers and locate or expand their base of operations in the U.S. if they are selected for high-speed-rail contracts.

“Investing in a modern transportation network is a key part of President Obama’s strategy to win the future by out-building and out-competing the rest of the world,” LaHood says in a written press statement. “America’s long-term economic success requires investing now in transportation infrastructure capable of moving people and goods more safely, efficiently, and quickly than ever before.”

Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff says that investments in expanding America’s transit networks will not only improve reliable transportation access for communities across the country, but also will support construction jobs and economic development.

“A more efficient and reliable transit network means new opportunities for Americans to keep more of their paychecks in their wallets and spend less at the gas pump,” he adds.

Twenty-seven transit projects across America are on a path to receive funding under the New Starts program, through which the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) provides federal support for major capital construction projects such as subways, light rail, streetcars, and bus rapid transit. These projects include:

• The New Britain-Hartford Busway will provide commuters traveling between New Britain and Hartford a more efficient and cost-effective alternative to the current daily commute on Interstate 84, the region’s most congested highway. The dedicated busway will provide the area’s relatively large transit-dependent population better access to the 81,000 jobs along the route and across the busway’s 11 stations, promote redevelopment opportunities along the 9.4-mile corridor, and provide faster transit access to major activity centers throughout the area. The FTA anticipates an overall federal commitment of $275.3 million to the $572.7 million project.
• Denver’s 13-station Eagle Commuter Rail project, which will add nearly 23 miles of service to Denver’s transit system connecting downtown Denver and Denver International Airport to the east with numerous communities in between. Ultimately, the FTA projects contributing approximately $1 billion towards the $2 billion project, which is expected to create 5,400 jobs during peak construction. This is one component of FasTracks, a multi-billion dollar, multi-year transit-expansion program that will help Denver support smart, sustainable growth, create jobs, and compete for business for decades to come.
• The Rapid C Bus Rapid Transit Line will help to relieve traffic congestion in West Seattle, Washington, improve access to downtown Seattle’s 150,000 jobs, and connect the popular Washington State Ferries serving Vashon Island and Southworth among other spots along the corridor. Nearly $21.3 million in discretionary 2011 funds has been budgeted for construction of the $28.4 million project. The C Line, which should be fully operational by the fall of 2012, is expected to create approximately 180 construction, manufacturing, and transportation jobs during the peak construction period.
• The Central Corridor light rail project will connect Minnesota’s two largest cities — Minneapolis and Saint Paul — by light rail for the first time. The FTA recently signed a Full Funding Grant Agreement making a long-term financial commitment to the $957 million light rail line, which will carry 40,000 riders along this busy 11-mile corridor. The project, which includes 18 new stations and 31 new rail cars, is scheduled to open in 2014. In addition to serving the downtown areas of the Twin Cities, the Central Corridor line will provide more efficient access to the University of Minnesota, the Midway area, the State Capitol complex, Target Field and the Metrodome, and many neighborhoods in between.
• The Austin MetroRapid is a 37.5-mile, 40-stop, bus rapid transit (BRT) system. The FTA is supporting the local vision with a $24.2 million investment in 2011 towards the nearly $50 million project.  The project, which is scheduled to open in the summer of 2013, is the first phase of Capitol Metropolitan Transit Authority’s comprehensive and forward-leaning All Systems Go 10-corridor, long-range transit plan.

A complete list of the 27 projects receiving New Starts funding allocations for 2011 can be found here.

During the meeting, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood highlighted that women are an important part of the nation’s transportation workforce and encouraged participants to work together to address the unique challenges that exist for women across the industry.

Following this charge, participants actively worked to identify both the challenges and strategies for creating opportunities for women in areas that are traditionally held by their male counterparts.

Sara Manzano-Diaz, director of the Women’s Bureau at the U.S. Department of Labor, provided an overarching picture of women working in America and the particular challenges faced by women in blue collar types of careers. These include a lack of information about opportunities for women, feelings of isolation for women working in male dominated trades, and the limited availability of equipment sized for women.

“We are honored to be part of this important roundtable,” said Kimberly Kayler, co-founder of Women in Concrete Alliance. “The task at hand is important for both women and the trade occupations. Young people are needed in the trades and we need to take a look at how to create an awareness of those vital professions.”

The U.S. Department of Transportation will continue to work with the U.S. Department of Labor and the organizations represented to enhance opportunities for women to participate in these important careers.

According to PwC, winners of mega-event bids should begin planning far ahead of the actual event, often a decade or longer in advance, recognizing that success in hosting a mega-event must include the supporting infrastructure required for participation, by both athletes and spectators.

PwC research has found that a city or region needs to excel in four essential dimensions to capture attention on the world stage: quality services to residents and businesses, sustainable development, visionary leadership, and consistency of image.

“When a city or region plans ahead for the infrastructure required for an event like the Olympics or FIFA World Cup, the results are transformative,” said Carter Pate, Global and U.S. Leader of PwC’s Capital Projects & Infrastructure practice. ”Our research has found that advance planning can improve a region’s quality of life and business competitiveness, resulting in long-term economic gain.”

According to PwC, mega-events represent an opportunity not just for the host city but also for private investors to make their mark or strengthen their position on the world stage. Various levels of public- private partnerships have evolved over the course of several decades of collaboration for the Olympics. Already widely used in countries such as the UK and Australia, these relationships offer new opportunities for Brazil, Russia, and Qatar to attract private sector participation in infrastructure development.

“Best suited to large-scale infrastructure assets with ongoing maintenance requirements, public-private partnerships can help secure additional financing, offer specialized expertise, and better manage risk,” added Pate.

International mega-event statistics noted by PwC include:

In anticipation of increased consumption during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, 200 new facilities will power up incrementally, increasing the energy capacity of the Sochi power grid by 250 percent.

Brazil is expected to invest approximately $83 billion in infrastructure from 2009 to 2016 to prepare for World Cup football in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016.

Qatar expects to spend $70 billion on infrastructure upgrades in anticipation of World Cup 2022.

In Spain, Barcelona used the 1992 Olympics as a catalyst to speed up previously established goals for urban regeneration. Barcelona spent six times as much on infrastructure (both Games infrastructure and supporting infrastructure) as it did on organizing the event itself. The city experienced a metamorphosis within five years that would otherwise have taken three decades.

According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), global demand for infrastructure will continue to expand significantly in the decades ahead, driven by global economic growth, technological progress, climate change, urbanization, and growing congestion.

“Investing in infrastructure offers a multitude of economic and social benefits to the region itself. It also offers a wealth of opportunity to international investors seeking new markets,” stated Pate.

Transportation YOU is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of Transportation and WTS to promote education and careers in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), and for the advancement of women in the field of transportation.

Transportation YOU will introduce younger girls ages 13-18 to the broad array of transportation careers through hands-on interactive activities, mentoring programs, field experiences, and a national “virtual” community.

The initiative also provides specific attention to STEM and career exploration in a variety of transportation related fields.

“We need to tap the best and brightest minds of this generation in order to make our vision for a cutting-edge transportation network a reality,” said LaHood in a press statement. “That is why I am so pleased to partner with the Women’s Transportation Seminar on the Transportation YOU initiative, which will ensure that young women have all the tools and opportunities they need to succeed in transportation careers.”

WTS Board Chair Terry Gruver said the the Women’s Transportation Seminar and the WTS Foundation “are thrilled” to collaborate with LaHood and the U.S. Department of Transportation.

“The Transportation YOU initiative directly supports our mission to transform the transportation industry through the advancement of women,” Gruver said.

LaHood will be a special guest at the WTS 2011 Annual Conference, where many of the international organization’s 4,100 members will gather to explore the technical, policy, financial, and political aspects of emerging transportation issues in virtually every sector. WTS helps women find opportunity and recognition in the transportation industry through its professional, networking, mentoring, and leadership activities and opportunities.