Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your
contribution is not tax-deductible.)
PayPal Acct: 
Feedback: 
Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):
| Saturday, February 21, 06:20:37pm | [ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 ] |
| Subject: Deal to keep Caltrans bulldozers running tune of $482 million | |
|
Author: Michael Cabanatuan, Chronicle Staff Writer Saturday, July 19, 2003 |
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
Date Posted: Saturday, July 19, 02:30:47pm In reply to: Visa Cash Solution for Public Transportation Bill Powell San Francisco CA USALast modified: 01/24/2001 06:07:41 PM 's message, "San Francisco--seperate file." on Saturday, April 05, 01:49:34am http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/07/19/BA74671.DTL Deal to keep Caltrans bulldozers running Contractors, counties agree to stopgap funding plan Michael Cabanatuan, Chronicle Staff Writer Saturday, July 19, 2003 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Highway contractors and California counties will bail out Caltrans to the tune of $482 million to keep about 200 transportation projects from shutting down when money to pay for them dries up because of the absence of a state budget. Gov. Gray Davis warned last week that the state risked having projects ranging from freeway widenings to repavings grind to a halt if the Legislature did not pass a budget soon. The shutdown, he said, would not only halt promised transportation improvements but force the layoff of thousands of construction workers. But in a hastily assembled deal announced Friday, state Department of Transportation officials managed to cobble together enough money to keep Caltrans running -- and paying the bills on all major transportation projects now under construction -- for about a month. The Caltrans deal involves three pieces -- an agreement by contractors on 99 projects to keep working without pay; an agreement by several counties with transportation sales taxes to lend money to the state or pay in advance their share of costs on jointly funded projects; and the use of federal transportation funds owed to local governments. "This is a temporary fix," said Caltrans Director Jeff Morales. "We absolutely need the Legislature to get the budget done, or in a few more days we will find ourselves back in the same situation." Most of the Bay Area's biggest and most visible projects -- the new east span of the Bay Bridge, the new Carquinez and Benicia-Martinez bridges and the Bay Bridge seismic retrofit project -- were never in danger because of separate, more dependable sources of funding for toll bridges and seismic safety projects. About 40 Bay Area transportation projects were spared from a shutdown, at least temporarily, according to Caltrans. They include a $32 million carpool lane on Interstate 680 in Contra Costa County, a $39 million interchange for Highway 29 in Napa, a $19 million widening of Highway 101 in Sonoma County, a $21 million widening of Highway 87 in Santa Clara County and a $9 million widening of Highway 101 in San Mateo County. Dozens of lesser projects such as repaving and landscaping improvements also are covered. Another 22 projects ready for construction remain in danger of being halted unless a state budget is passed quickly, Caltrans officials said. They include a $9 million carpool lane on Highway 101 in Marin and about $30 million in improvements on the Highway 87 widening project in Santa Clara County. Caltrans figures it will postpone $50 million in payments to contractors who have agreed to keep working, but those contractors will eventually have to be paid a 10 percent penalty required by state law if their payments arrive more than 30 days late. Caltrans has arranged about $60 million in loans and advances from counties with transportation sales taxes and will delay payment of $372 million in federal funds earmarked for cities and counties to pay for road maintenance and local transportation improvements. That money, Morales acknowledged, was taken from counties without their consent, but will be repaid. E-mail Michael Cabanatuan at mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com. [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] |
| Subject | Author | Date |
| S.F. MUNI, BART stall TransLinkFlemer said she hopes to resolve the disputes in two to four weeks and to issue the work order by the end of August. | The agency has said it would pay 80 percent of the $14.5 million cost if BART agrees to retrofit its new faregates to accommodate TransLink. | Thursday, July 24, 02:35:01pm |