Posts Tagged ‘transportation funding’

OEA released minor revisions Friday to the criteria it will use to award grants for the construction of transportation improvements outside medical facilities gaining new patient care activities as a result of BRAC. The spending bill Congress passed in April allocating funds for the remainder of fiscal 2011 included up to $300 million for states and local agencies to upgrade transportation infrastructure needed to accommodate growth at medical facilities …

San Antonio officials are requesting one-third of the $300 million in spending Congress approved earlier this year to provide transportation funding for communities dealing with BRAC-generated growth at military medical centers. The city is asking for $68 million of the total amount it is requesting to upgrade Harry Wurzbach Road, a prime traffic corridor leading to Fort Sam Houston …

In the absence of the hundreds of millions of dollars local officials requested to improve the roads surrounding Fort Meade, Md., in advance of 2011, the state and Anne Arundel County have focused on less expensive projects, such as mass transit, with the potential to reduce traffic congestion outside the post …

The Office of Economic Adjustment (OEA) released guidelines for a one-time opportunity to obtain funding to support the construction of transportation infrastructure improvements associated with medical facilities, related to recommendations from BRAC 2005. This funding, approved in the April budget deal, was first appropriated in 2009, but technical issues with the bill prevented funds from being spent …

Members of Virginia’s congressional delegation criticized the Defense Department’s occupancy plan for the Mark Center on Thursday, saying it conflicts with reassurances officials had provided earlier that the relocation of 6,400 workers to the Alexandria, Va., site would not cause failing levels of service to local roads. Almost 5,000 workers would move to the facility by the end of the year, with the remaining 1,400 relocating sometime after the new year …

The Pentagon should encourage military and civilian personnel at installations to take mass transit, or to form carpools or vanpools as a way to alleviate traffic congestion, according to the report accompanying the fiscal 2012 defense authorization bill the Senate Armed Services Committee approved June 17. The committee encourages the deputy undersecretary of defense for installations and environment, in conjunction with the director of the Office of Economic Adjustment, to promote the use of carpools and public transit …

Helping mission growth communities bracing for significant increases in traffic congestion as a result of BRAC 2005 was a recurring theme in the fiscal 2012 defense authorization bill passed by the House last week, with several provisions increasing the chances for affected communities to obtain federal funds to address transportation impacts outside the gates of a military installation. During last week’s debate in the House over the legislation, Maryland Rep. Donna Edwards took up the theme, introducing an amendment intended to prevent defense communities in future base closure rounds from having to deal with the potential for gridlock outside of an installation with only limited resources …

The U.S. Census does not count military personnel serving overseas as residents of the communities where they are stationed, potentially depriving defense communities of federal funding for a variety of programs. To minimize the impact, the House Appropriations Committee is urging DOD to work with communities to ensure they have adequate resources and infrastructure to meet the needs of service members and their families …

House lawmakers approved a small handful of amendments affecting defense communities before passing the underlying fiscal 2012 defense authorization bill Thursday. The most notable would limit defense workers to 1,000 parking spaces at the Mark Center in Alexandria until sufficient transportation mitigation projects are in place …

Several critical provisions affecting the implementation of the 2005 round of base closures are one step closer to becoming law, after the House Thursday approved its version of the fiscal 2012 defense authorization bill. The most significant provision would extend the deadline for carrying out up to seven BRAC recommendations to Sept. 15, 2012, one year beyond the statutory deadline …