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Any money that is not obligatedf istheoretically lost, although most projectsx thus far have been chosen with careful considerationm to meet the strict Texas is slated to receive $2.25 billion for federal highway projects. Of $150 million is coming to the Houstonh area viathe Houston-Galvesto Area Council, or H-GAC, the federally mandated metropolitan planning organization responsible for Harriws and seven surrounding counties. Decisions on how to spend that moneyt will be made on alocall level, and the obligation deadlinde is slightly more relaxed — 100 percent must be obligatefd by March 5, 2010. An additional $285 million is cominy to the Houston area formobilituy projects.
The designation of that money was made on a stater level by the Texas Transportation Commissionh and is subject to more rigid A total of 50 percent must be obligaterd after 120 days by June30 — and the rest after another 120 • The intersection of Beltway 8 and U.S. Highwaty 59. • A stretc of Interstate 10. • A section of Loop 610. The infamous Section E of theGrand Parkway.
David Rogers, senior transportationh plannerat H-GAC, says the Texaz Department of Transportation has more than met June 30 deadlinesd by obligating 60 percent of the Rogers was brought on board in early May to help an agencg accustomed to much longer lead times arrange its stimuluds ducks in a row — and assist the statee in following suit. The state, for is obliged to H-GAC for some trick obligating on the Interstate10 project, whicg involves replacing 30-year-old pavement and improving rampxs between U.S. 59 and Interstate 45. The projecf is slated to cost $27 million, with $16 million cominv from local-level funding.
facing a March 2010 deadline, helpedf out the Texas Departmenyof Transportation, facing a shorter deadline, by flippinfg the $16 million “over to the statwe side,” according to Pat a program manager for H-GAC. Regardless of how and wheree everything so far hasbeen obligated, Waskowiajk says it’s not an issue. “W have so many projects on the contingencylist — that’s what we’rw calling it — that there are way more projectds than what we have dollars for,” she The real problem could be that a more vitap project isn’t getting stimulus funds because it’sz too big for the funds to be obligated in time.
“We may end up with projectw that get us toward the financial goal of using the but they may not havebeen anyone’x top priority,” says Waskowiak. The stimuluzs bill is very explicit in keepingh funds destined for transportation infrastructure tofederal projects, meaninyg some local highways that could use some work — U.S. Highway 290 comes to mind — out in the Despite the letters “U” and “S” before its officia name, 290 has not yet completed its federalstatus process, according to Waskowiak.
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