Senator Allard, Musgrave Expand Colo Trade Corridor In New Trans Law
Bush signs transportation bill, authorizes Heartland Express in Eastern Colo
Washington, Aug 10 - Today, as President George W. Bush signed into law a new six-year transportation bill, he approved legislation included by Colorado Senator Wayne Allard and Representative Marilyn Musgrave (CO-04) to designate the Heartland Express trade corridor through Eastern Colorado. This allows for completion of the high priority Great Plains Trade Corridor that will run through the United States, from the Mexican border to the Canadian border.
The President signed the Safe, Accountable and Efficient Transportation Equity Act, a Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), authorizing $286 billion in highway construction, transit, and road safety projects. The Senator and Congresswoman secured significant funding for high priority projects in this new law.
Senator Allard, a member of the House-Senate Conference Committee that wrote the final version of the bill, said, "More than three years of hard work and negotiations on the transportation bill have paid off. The Heartland Express trade route is of great importance to Eastern Colorado. The route will facilitate additional trade and tourism, bringing additional dollars to the Eastern plains."
"The nation benefits from completion of this international trade corridor with better prices for goods and services, as well as access to more markets for our domestic products," said Musgrave. "My district will benefit from the economic development, improved infrastructure, and added jobs. Finally, drivers around the state benefit from safer roads because of less traffic congestion."
In March, Senator Allard and Congresswoman Musgrave introduced legislation to designate Colorado State Highway 71 from the Nebraska state line to Limon, and I-76 from Denver to Brush, as the Colorado portion of the "Heartland Express." It was included in the Senate-version of SAFETEA-LU as a result of Allard's and Musgrave's leadership.
The Heartland Express ends in Rapid City, Iowa, and connects to the Ports-to-Plains corridor that runs between Texas and Denver, along Highway 287 and Interstate 70. Within SAFETEA-LU, $5 million is provided for improvements of interchanges and road construction along the Heartland Express.
Additional Funding For Priority Projects:
Senator Allard, Chairman of the Senate Housing and Transportation Subcommittee, secured a 46 percent increase in highway funding for Colorado that will total more than $2.45 billion dollars over the next five years. In addition, he was able to fund more than $110 million for specific highway projects in the bill, including work for improvements to I-25 and I-70, a new interchange at Highway 34 and I-25 at Loveland, improved access to Fort Carson in Colorado Springs, the widening of Highway 50 in Southeastern Colorado from Lamar to Las Animas, and a long list of other projects throughout the state.
Congresswoman Musgrave's district was allotted $40 million in highway construction funds in SAFETEA-LU, she secured $20 million in the House-passed bill. The funds designated to Northern and Eastern Colorado provide nearly $8 to reconstruct portions of Interstate 25 (from Highway 52 to Highway 14), over $6 million to reconstruct portions of Highway 287 (from Limon to the Oklahoma border), and over $6 million to reconstruct portions of Interstate 76 (from E-470 to the Nebraska border).
http://musgrave.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=32187