Northeastern Senators Make Play for High-Speed Rail Funds Rejected by Florida by Felicia Sonmez - Washington Post

Read original...

Ten senators from northeastern states requested Monday that $2.4 billion in funding for high-speed rail rejected by Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) be redirected to rail projects in their states.

Democratic Sens. Tom Carper (Del.), Richard Blumenthal (Conn.), Ben Cardin (Md.), Chris Coons (Del.), Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), John Kerry (Mass.), Frank Lautenberg (N.J.), Bob Menendez (N.J.) and Barbara Mikulski (Md.) as well as Independent Sen. Joe Lieberman (Conn.) made the request in a letter to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

"With its large population and high economic activity, the Northeast Corridor is well-positioned to lead the nation into the future of high-speed rail transportation," the senators wrote. "If another project sponsor in Florida is not found, our states stand ready to put the unwanted funds to good use to improve our existing high-speed rail service, create jobs, and reduce congestion and air pollution."

The letter follows one penned by Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) to LaHood this month asking for the high-speed rail funds to be directed to his state and the Northeast Corridor.

Scott two weeks ago joined Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) in rejecting the Obama administration high-speed rail funding, projecting that the program would be too costly to taxpayers. LaHood gave Scott a reprieve until the end of this week to make a final decision on the funding, which would go toward a high-speed rail line between Tampa and Orlando; Scott last week renewed his criticism of the project, calling high-speed rail "a federal boondoggle."

The 10 senators in their letter Monday made the case that "although the Northeast Corridor has the only operating high-speed train in the country, the Corridor has received less than two percent of the $10.5 billion provided by Congress for the High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program to date."

The text of the letter is after the jump.

A copy of the letter to the U.S. Department of Transportation follows:
February 25, 2011
The Honorable Ray LaHood
Secretary
U.S. Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Ave, SE
Washington, DC 20590

Dear Secretary LaHood,

In light of the State of Florida's decision to reject $2.4 billion in High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program funds, we urge you to reprogram these funds to projects on the Northeast Corridor. Our states are ready to put these funds to good use to improve our existing high speed rail service, reduce congestion, and create jobs.

As you know, the Northeast Corridor is critically important to our nation's transportation infrastructure. The region served by the Corridor accounts for roughly one-fifth of the nation's gross domestic product and twenty percent of our nation's population. More than 250 million rail passengers use the Corridor annually and the Acela Express has built the foundation for high-speed rail service throughout the country. In a recent report, America 2050 rated the Northeast Corridor as the region with the greatest potential to attract high-speed rail ridership in the United States.

Improving passenger rail service on the Northeast Corridor is necessary to accommodate the sixty percent increase in passengers expected by 2030 and will alleviate severe congestion on the region's highways and airspace. At a time when numerous states have rejected federal funding from the High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program, we note that high-speed rail's potential on the Northeast Corridor is proven. For example, ridership on the Acela Express has risen six hundred percent during its nine years of service.

Although the Northeast Corridor has the only operating high-speed train in the country, the Corridor has received less than two percent of the $10.5 billion provided by Congress for the High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program to date. We believe that this is an insufficient investment in the Northeast Corridor, given our region's position as a population and economic mega-region.

Thank you for your consideration of this request.

Sincerely,

Tom Carper
John F. Kerry
Joseph I. Lieberman
Richard Blumenthal
Kirsten E. Gillibrand
Frank R. Lautenberg
Robert Menendez
Christopher A. Coons
Barbara A. Milkulski
Benjamin L. Cardin

Astoria Scum River Bridge on Vimeo

Read original...

Astoria Scum River Bridge from Jason Eppink on Vimeo.

For more than twenty years, a leaky pipe on 33rd Street beneath the Hell Gate Bridge viaduct approach submerged more than a hundred square feet of heavily-trafficked sidewalk under a festering cesspool of standing water. Astoria Scum River, as it was called, stretched the entire width of the sidewalk, and as winter approached, the river iced over and became particularly hazardous to cross.

Astoria Scum River Bridge was constructed to offer Astorians an opportunity to safely cross this hazard. The unauthorized bridge was a gift to the pedestrians of Astoria in the absence of successful municipal efforts to ameliorate the problem.

The bridge was made at zero cost entirely from recycled materials: an old work bench found on the curb, rescued screws from a disassembled desk, and a metal plate from an expired electrical component. It was installed and dedicated on December 30th, 2009.

On January 25th, 2010, Astoria Scum River Bridge was the subject of a commendation from the office of NYC Council Member Peter F. Vallone, Jr., accompanied by a pledge to work with Amtrak to re-route Astoria Scum River off the sidewalk.

Two days later, Amtrak workers began construction work. Astoria Scum River was quickly routed off the sidewalk, and within a couple months, custom-made grates were installed to complete the project. The bridge, no longer needed, was de-installed on March 20th, 2010 and returned to the curb whence it came.

jasoneppink.com/astoria-scum-river-bridge
bladediary.com/tag/astoria-scum-river-bridge

Credits

---

Chief Engineer and Head Designer

Jason Eppink

Chief Designer and Head Engineer

Posterchild

Thanks

Paulo Fonseca
Ryan Good
Debra Keneally
Ben Speiser

Marshall Warns of Dangerous Bridge by John Lauinger - NY Daily News

Read original...

An Amtrak bridge over the busy intersection of Northern Blvd. and Broadway in Woodside has severe cracks in its concrete exterior - posing a significant danger to pedestrians and motorists, a top elected official warned.

Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, who has demanded an immediate response from Amtrak, said the bridge's exterior has deteriorated to the point where chunks of concrete have fallen off.

The Daily News reviewed the overpass with Marshall on Tuesday and observed several softball-sized pieces lying on the sidewalk along Broadway.

"This is a very dangerous situation," Marshall said, adding that Northern Blvd. and Broadway are two of the borough's most heavily trafficked roadways.

Marshall wrote to Amtrak on Tuesday, imploring the agency to repair the deteriorating bridge before tragedy strikes.

"The potential for a catastrophic accident caused either directly or indirectly by falling chunks of concrete is very real and, at this point, very preventable," Marshall's letter said.

The overpass carries trains traveling between Penn Station and points in Amtrak's Northeast Corridor, according to Amtrak.

The concrete exterior - which shields structural members from the elements - was fraught with fissures from end to end. There were numerous gaping holes, as well as exposed sections of steel.

In at least two spots, entire sections of concrete were missing from semicircular braces known as spandrels.

There also was a horizontal crack running nearly the entire length of the portion of the bridge that spans Broadway.

Thomas Campagna, an engineer for Queens County, said the crack will widen if left unrepaired - creating the possibility that a massive segment of concrete could come crashing down.

"It's only a matter of time," Campagna said.

Amtrak spokesman Cliff Cole said a group of engineers evaluated the bridge yesterday in response to Marshall's letter.

"We're going to work on shoring up the concrete," he said, adding that work is likely to begin tomorrow and continue through the end of next week.

Cole said workers will replace or strengthen concrete sections that have been eroded or weakened. But Amtrak is not planning to completely replace the bridge's concrete exterior, he said.

Marshall said she hopes the repairs will not just be cosmetic.

"This isn't a patch job," she said.

jlauinger@nydailynews.com