High Desert road projects to receive stimulus funds
Three High Desert road projects are included in the California Department of Transportation’s list of those first in line to receive federal economic stimulus dollars, but none are in the Barstow area.
With $2.57 billion expected to come to transportation projects in California, the California Transportation Commission adopted a priority list of 57 projects totaling $625 million. Construction may begin on the projects once the Federal Highway Administration gives approval to release the stimulus funds.
The list includes road maintenance projects on U.S. Route 395 near Kramer Junction, on State Route 18 near Big Bear City, and on State Route 127 near Baker.
As for road projects in the immediate Barstow area, the city may not receive stimulus funds directly for any of them.
The San Bernardino Associated Governments, which will administer stimulus highway dollars passed down from the state, is expecting to get $80 million in highway funds from the stimulus package, said Garry Cohoe, director of freeway construction. Currently, the board is looking at a proposal that would put all of that funding towards a large-scale widening project on Interstate 215 in the city of San Bernardino.
The project is ready to start construction, but without the stimulus money, it could be held up by a delay in releasing state transportation bond money, due to California’s budget issues.
Using the stimulus funding for the Interstate 215 project would free up more funds from the county’s half-cent transportation sales tax, known as Measure I funds, which can be used for local road projects.
The amount of additional Measure I funds to go to local projects and the criteria have yet to be determined, Cohoe said. The SANBAG board has yet to sign off on the plan to use the stimulus funds for the 215 project.
Apart from any stimulus funds that do come in, Barstow will receive federal appropriations of $500,000 for upgrades to its wastewater treatment facility in the next fiscal year under a $410 billion spending bill signed by President Barack Obama last week. The city received the same amount in the previous year’s federal appropriations.
The wastewater plant was the only local project to receive funding under the most recent appropriations bill, city spokesman John Rader said.
The city submitted a request to Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon for another $250,000 to go to the wastewater plant, along with a list of requests for federal appropriations in the 2010-11 fiscal year.
Contact the writer:
(760) 256-4123 or asewell@desertdispatch.com
High Desert pavement preservation projects to receive stimulus funds:
$2.2 million for U.S. Route 395 near Kramer Junction
$561,600 for State Route 18 near Big Bear City
$2.37 million for State Routes 127 and 178, including about 6 miles on Route 127 near Baker
