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October 2011 This Infrastructure News update is provided by Spartan Solutions' Executive Team: Sherry Little, Salvatore Mancini, Severn Miller & Mysore Nagaraja.Extension of Surface Transportation Program For those who missed it, Congress passed a compromise measure that would extend surface transportation funding through the end of March 2012 while work on the reauthorization of the surface transportation law continues. The legislation represents the eighth extension of SAFETEA. Public Transportation Groups Rally against Potential Federal Cuts Public transportation groups are concerned Congress could impose significant cuts to transit under the reauthorization of the federal surface transportation program. House Republicans have proposed a six-year bill that would reduce overall spending by as much as a third. They argue that this figure aligns to projected federal gas tax receipts, which traditionally provide all of the funding for Federal transportation programs. Transit advocates contend that such a cut would result in the loss of 620K transportation jobs in both the public and private sectors and would adversely affect commutes at a time when communities are already cutting back transit services. The Senate has proposed a two-year bill that would increase current levels of funding to account for inflation. OK Plans to Repair All Structurally Deficient Bridges Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin (R) wants to repair all 706 structurally deficient bridges in OK's highway system as part of her administration's goal of growing the economy and creating jobs. The Road Information Program reports that OK ranks second in the nation for the number of bridges rated structurally deficient, with 22 percent structurally deficient and an additional 7 percent functionally obsolete. Fallin calls for lawmakers to increase the amount of state revenue set aside for road and bridge repairs by $15M a year and raise the road and bridge maintenance cap to $550M, which is intended to allow the repair of all of the structurally deficient bridges by 2019 without raising taxes, tolls or fees. Fallin says that increased funding for bridge repairs will come from projected growth in state revenue from economic activity. CA High-Speed Rail Agency Ordered to Engage More Minority Business USDOT has ordered the California High-Speed Rail Authority to expand its outreach to and inclusion of small and disadvantaged businesses. The Authority, which has the task of building high-speed rail from San Francisco to Southern CA, must create a development program for small and disadvantaged businesses, compile a directory of all firms that are eligible to participate, and create a business advisory council within 60 days. The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area had alleged that the Authority's contracting policies appeared neutral but had a disparate impact on minority-owned businesses. The Authority said that it has already moved on many of the mandated changes and has also used other strategies, such as hosting industry forums.
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