DOT Announces Additional High-Speed Rail Funding
Posted by NotMike at 8:30 AM
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has announced the latest funding for high-speed rail projects across the country, with funding being awarded to 54 projects in 23 states. This round of funding follows this past Januarys USD$8 billion that was part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), though these fund come from the regular DOT 2009/2010 appropriations.
The ARRA funds did not require project sponsors to to match any of the federal grant funds, where this round required state and municipal organizations to secure 20% of the requested funds to be considered for the grant. Of the $2.5 billion available, DOT received over $8.8 billion in applications for this round.
The biggest recipients of the federal money were California, who received another $900 million for their rail projects, over and above the $2.3 billion the state received from ARRA in January, and Florida, receiving an additional $800 million to the $1.25 billion from ARRA. California is looking to fund an expansive high-speed network across the state, with a total estimated price of $45 billion. Florida is currently only working on a Tampa-Orlando high speed line, though other projects are in the works.
