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Pelosi
Announces San Francisco Funding in FY04 Spending Bill
December
9, 2003
Washington,
D.C. -- House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi today announced funding
for San Francisco programs that were included in the $820 billion
fiscal year 2004 omnibus spending bill passed yesterday by the House
of Representatives. The bill is now pending in the Senate.
“This
funding will benefit San Francisco and the entire Bay Area by supporting
successful programs and initiating promising projects,” Pelosi
said. “The transportation projects will provide essential upgrades
to our existing systems and will help us build a transit infrastructure
to provide for our future needs while protecting the environment.”
The following
are transportation and infrastructure programs that are key for
the Bay Area that received funding:
- Muni
Third Street Light Rail - Pelosi secured $9 million for Phase
II of the San Francisco Municipal Railway (Muni) Third Street
Light Rail Transit Extension. Phase I of the project includes
a 19 stop light-rail line that will be completed in 2005 and is
funded almost exclusively by state and local sources. Phase II
will extend the rail line underground into San Francisco’s
Chinatown District by 2012 through a 1.5-mile subway. The project,
which is San Francisco’s highest transportation priority,
carries a total cost of $1.32 billion.
- Muni
Third Street Road Work - Pelosi secured $2.5 million for road
work related to the Muni Third Street Light Rail project through
the Surface Transportation Project (STP) funding category.
- BART
to San Francisco International Airport - Pelosi and the Bay
Area congressional delegation secured $100 million for the extension
of Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) service to the San Francisco
International Airport (SFO). “By creating new links among
communities and attracting new passengers, the BART-SFO extension
will promote economic productivity and reduce traffic congestion
as well as air pollution in the Bay Area,” Pelosi said.
- Golden
Gate Bridge Seismic Retrofit - Pelosi secured $4.5 million
for the ongoing seismic retrofitting of the Golden Gate Bridge.
- Muni
Bus and Bus Facility Upgrades - Pelosi secured $4 million
for Muni to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of operations
along key corridors of the city through security and technology
upgrades, alternative fuel buses and street improvements.
- Muni
Transportation Communications System - Pelosi secured $1.5
million for Muni to replace its antiquated communications system
with a new integrated radio and wireless data system.
- Muni
Alternative Fuels New Technology System - Pelosi secured $500,000
to initiate a public-private consortium for development and testing
of battery electric buses for public transit systems. Identifying
alternative technologies is critical to San Francisco Muni’s
effort to replace its older diesel bus fleet with the most effective,
clean new engines.
- Presidio
Trails and Bikeways - Pelosi secured $1 million for the implementation
of the recently approved Presidio Trails and Bikeways Plan in
the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
- City
CarShare - Pelosi secured $500,000 for City CarShare, an automated,
short-term mobility service that makes cars available on a per-use
basis. CarShare began operating in March 2001 and now serves 2,400
members who share 85 vehicles at 40 locations throughout the San
Francisco Bay Area.
- City
College of San Francisco Transportation Academy - Pelosi secured
$300,000 for the San Francisco Transit Career Ladder Program,
a joint effort of City College, San Francisco Muni, and the Transport
Workers Union. The program is designed to train students for a
variety of transportation careers.
In
addition to projects within the City of San Francisco, Pelosi worked
with her Bay Area colleagues on funding for projects that will benefit
the entire San Francisco Bay Area. These include $2 million in New
Starts funding for the BART to San Jose Project, and $2.1 million
for CALSTART/ WestStart’s research activities on Bus Rapid
Transit (BRT), an approach to transit that provides a rail-like
service with lower costs and greater flexibility than rail and produces
fewer emissions than traditional bus service.
Other community
programs funded in the omnibus include:
California
Academy of Sciences renovation - $1 million
San Francisco Bay Area Law Enforcement Technology Systems - $1 million
City of San Francisco Justice Information Tracking System - $750,000
CA Dept. of Justice SF Bay Area sexual assault screening program
- $750,000
Women’s Initiative for Self-Employment microenterprise
training for women in underserved communities - $500,000
Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy shoreline
& habitat restoration - $300,000
Old Mint redevelopment project - $250,000
Emancipated Foster Youth Program facility renovation - $200,000
Fine Arts Museums of SF’s DeYoung Arts Education Program -
$200,000
International Museum of Women - $100,000
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