Local Governments Vie for Stimulus Package Funds

Published by peter | Filed under Real Estate

The Metropolitan Planning Organization rushed a few last minute projects into its Transportation Improvement Program at a special meeting held Feb. 17. The action was taken to secure funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, signed by President Barack Obama on the same day.

The $787 billion economic stimulus package has been a source of similarly rapid action across the United States in the past month. It allots $1.346 billion to Florida for bridges and roads projects, of which about 60 percent will be spent on state-prioritized projects and 40 percent used for local projects.

“A local priority may be off the state highway system (or) on the state highway system; it’s whatever this body says is a priority,” Florida Department of Transportation (District 7) Secretary Don Skelton clarified to the MPO at its regular monthly meeting.

The Pinellas County MPO received more than 100 stimulus project proposals from local jurisdictions in just one month. Fourteen of the 25 municipalities submitted projects, making it difficult for the MPO to determine a priority list at its regular meeting on Feb. 11. The available dollar amounts thinned when Skelton explained the distribution among counties.

“For this district, we’re probably talking somewhere in the $80-$100 million range . . . divide by the five counties that are in this district. It makes the list a lot shorter.”

Local funds for the county are estimated to be between $15 and $25 million.

“When I do the math, we’ll be lucky to get a bridge,” Pinellas Park Mayor Bill Mischler said.

The MPO took the next few days to rank projects based on the stimulus package guidelines and additional criteria added by the board. Each project received award points for responding to safety concerns, meeting federal aid eligibility, supporting a geographically-balanced program and being located in an economically
distressed area. The ranking was then examined at the special meeting.

Besides the local funds, Pasco, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties proposed projects for the state-prioritized dollars. The total amount District 7 will receive is not yet determined but equal distribution of funds among districts would grant the district a little less than $130 million.

At the special MPO meeting, representatives from around the county voted to contribute their $15-25 million in local funds to a project taking place on US 19 if the district awards money to the project.

“I want to see those two overpasses done on US 19. If we can do that we’re going to go all the way from Pinellas Park to Countryside with no stops . . . that’s going to help most of the residents in this county,” Mayor Mischler said.

The MPO also determined Ulmerton Road would be its next bid for state discretionary funds if US 19 is not selected.

While both projects are on FDOT’s list of priorities, higher on the list is the I-4 connector to the Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway in Hillsborough County. Secretary Skelton indicated that the district will attempt to fund that project first but its high dollar amount (estimated to cost more than $700 million) may make the project unfeasible for acceleration.

If Pinellas County receives none of the state discretionary funds for its major projects, it plans to put the local funds toward projects on Gandy Boulevard and Bryan Dairy Road.

“Fifteen to $25 million is a wide range,” MPO Transportation Planning Administrator Sarah Ward said. She suggested that the exact dollar amount would determine which of the two projects, if not both, would go forward.

Although certain bridge projects near the beaches were considered then dismissed from the funding list, the beaches may still receive assistance with roadways from the stimulus package. Included in the provisions is a section specifically for enhancement projects. The MPO is planning to use $2-$3 million dollars of this money toward projects on its revolving Transportation Improvement Program list, some of which have been MPO priorities since 2006. Among the projects is the Treasure Island Causeway/ Pinellas Trail Connection. Treasure Island already began selection of a pathway for the project. - BI Gazette.