"U.S. Transportation Secretary Slater Announces $230.5 Million in Grants for California Transit, Airports"

Thursday, September 21, 2000

U.S. Transportation Secretary Slater Announces $230.5 Million in Grants for
California Transit, Airports


WASHINGTON, Sep 21, 2000 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. Transportation Secretary
Rodney E. Slater today announced a total of $230.5 million in federal grants
for transit and airport projects throughout California.

"Investing wisely in public transportation will strengthen the economy,
create new jobs, and improve livability in our nation's cities," Vice
President Al Gore said. "These funds will help ease congestion and improve
air quality for working families in California communities."

"By helping to improve California's transportation infrastructure, we not
only contribute to safety and mobility, but to economic growth as well,"
Secretary Slater said. "These grants are good news for the entire state."

A total of $112.3 million was awarded for transit projects, and $118.2
million in airport improvement grants. These grants reinforce Vice President
Gore's livability initiative by providing better and more convenient transit
in California's metropolitan areas, thereby both protecting the environment
and enhancing mobility and access to jobs. In addition, many of the airport
grants will help protect the natural environment by shielding residents from
aircraft noise.

The Secretary announced the following discretionary airport grants of more
than $1 million:


    *     San Jose International Airport -- $24 to extend a runway and
          rehabilitate runways and to provide noise mitigation.

    *     Ontario Airport -- $15.3 million to acquire land for noise
          mitigation.

    *     San Diego International Airport - Lindbergh Field -- $10 million
for
          noise mitigation measures and to improve the runway safety area.

    *     Fresno Yosemite Airport -- $5.3 million to construct a taxiway and
          apron, reconstruct an airport access road, expand the terminal
          building and provide noise mitigation.

    *     Santa Barbara Municipal Airport -- $4.2 million to rehabilitate
          taxiways and an apron, and to acquire land for noise
compatibility.

    *     Sacramento Metropolitan Airport -- $4 million to expand an apron.

    *     San Francisco International Airport -- $3.8 million for noise
          mitigation measures.

    *     Redding Airport -- $2.5 million to rehabilitate a runway and the
          terminal building, and acquire land for approach.

    *     Paso Robles Airport -- $2.1 million to rehabilitate a runway,
          install security fencing and improve the runway safety area.

    *     Sacramento Mather Airport -- $1.7 million to install apron
lighting
          and an instrument approach aid, rehabilitate a taxiway and install
a
          lighting control panel.

    *     Monterey Airport -- $1 million to provide noise mitigation.

Secretary Slater also announced the following transit grants:

    *     Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority -- $49.1
          million for the design and construction of the North Hollywood
          extension of the Metro Red Line rail project.

    *     Sacramento Regional Transit District -- $24.5 million for the
South
          Sacramento Corridor Project, a 6.3-mile light rail extension
          consisting of six stations operating between downtown Sacramento
and
          Meadowview Road.

    *     Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority -- $19.6 million for
the
          Tasman Corridor Extension, part of the existing 21-mile Guadalupe
          Corridor light rail transit system; and $3.4 million to purchase
          eight 60-foot articulated buses.

    *     North San Diego County Transit Development Board -- $4.7 million
to
          purchase 15 buses fueled by compressed natural gas (CNG),
replacing
          15 diesel-fueled buses; and to build a CNG fueling station at the
          Escondido Maintenance Facility.

    *     Orange County Transportation Authority -- $4.1 million to purchase
          eight buses fueled by liquefied natural gas, and to construct an
          intermodal facility in Buena Park.

    *     Riverside Transit Agency -- $2.5 million for the design and
          engineering of a bus facility in Perris to accommodate 50 buses
          initially and expand to 200 as demand increases.

    *     Southern California Regional Rail Authority -- $2 million for
          construction of the San Bernardino Metrolink Extension.

    *     City of Folsom -- $1.5 million for the design and construction of
          the City of Folsom Historic Railroad Block Multi-Modal
          Transportation Facility.

    *     City of Vallejo -- $1 million to purchase three buses.



SOURCE U.S. Department of Transportation

CONTACT:          Bill Mosley of the U.S. Department of Transportation,
                  202-366-5571

   Post your opinion on this story in the CAA Discussion Forum
http://www.californiaaviation.org/cgi-bin/dcforum/dcboard.cgi?conf=DCConfID8

*****************************************