KJP

Someone forgot to mention the nuisance argument. Certain property owners in the Flats repeatedly failed to control their customers. Their failure to maintain control created an atmosphere of unruliness in the Flats where drunkeness, fights, drownings and even murders became all too familiar occurrences. Their negligence caused the city to incur higher costs to its safety, service and law departments. And, it drove away responsible businesses and customers, affecting property values and income tax revenues. The only option left is forcibly remove the nuisance and redevelop the site with a calmer mix of uses. I hope the port authority makes that argument.

Interest high in Flats' eminent domain case Foes to challenge economic benefit Sunday, March 18, 2007 Tom Breckenridge Plain Dealer Reporter The $230 million Flats East Bank Neighborhood development is either illegally taking land to benefit a favored developer, or it is a laudable plan for a blighted neighborhood. Those are the sides staked out in Cuyahoga County Probate Court, where the local port authority, working with developer Scott Wolstein and the city of Cleveland, is wielding eminent domain to take nine properties at prices that the owners say are unfair. More at http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1174208085212470.xml&coll=2

Pretty well done, but would have been better with some views of Little Italy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snLIUsBOI-k&mode=related&search=

You gotta watch this....

Somehow I doubt Ghandi would utter such words, censored or not. Go shag a posey, then we'll see.

What are other states doing? Well, in California, they're putting the fire out and making plans to build a new bridge on a major rail line in Sacramento... Nearly 20 photos are posted at: http://data.sacbee.com/photography/view/trestle Rail blaze possibly arson Debris is sifted for clues to cause of trestle inferno By Tony Bizjak, Ryan Lillis and Phillip Reese - Bee Staff Writers Published 12:00 am PDT Saturday, March 17, 2007 Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A1 Teams of experts from federal firearms investigators to state toxics analysts sifted through the smoldering ruins of a train trestle Friday seeking clues to the causes and consequences of the massive blaze on the American River Parkway. The cause of the spectacular Thursday evening inferno on the Union Pacific mainline remained undetermined but may have been arson, investigators said. The track closure forced passenger and freight train officials to scramble to reroute dozens of trains Friday, causing slowdowns throughout the region. No incendiary device had been found. However, Sacramento Fire Department officials said they suspect the fire could have been purposely set. Union Pacific crews were allowed onto the site Friday afternoon to begin a several-day demolition and cleanup process. The inferno that destroyed the trestle seemed to ignite just after 5:30 p.m. in a thin line along a 100-yard section of the tracks north of the river and just west of the Capital City Freeway. "It's suspicious because of how rapidly it spread," Sacramento Fire Capt. Jim Doucette said. Doucette, a 27-year veteran of the department, said that in his experience, "an accident wouldn't have spread as quickly." He said, however, it was too soon to rule out any theory. The Sacramento Police Department's explosive-ordnance disposal unit responded to the scene "due to the suspicious nature of the fire and the speed with which it spread," said police Sgt. Matthew Young. Investigators with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also arrived soon after the blaze began, officials said. A crew from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had been under the trestle Thursday morning inspecting replanted elderberry bushes, but did not report anything unusual, corps officials said. An Auburn-bound Capitol Corridor commuter train passed over the tracks about 15 minutes before the fire erupted, but officials say they have not connected the train to the fire's start. Train officials and passengers reported seeing nothing suspicious. Union Pacific is offering a $2,500 reward for information about the fire's cause. The destruction of a critical main train line through the heart of the urban area caused immediate disruptions to freight and passenger trains and forced one westbound train to stop Thursday as a thick screen of black smoke loomed ahead. The smoke caused a nearby Costco store to remain closed Friday. Store managers expect to reopen today. Union Pacific rerouted freight trains Friday, and Amtrak and Capitol Corridor officials instituted "bus bridges" to transport several hundred passengers from trains on one side of the disruption to waiting trains on the other. But officials with Union Pacific and Amtrak said freight shipments will be slowed through Sacramento by as much as 90 minutes, and train passengers can expect delays until the damaged line is rebuilt and reopened. Rebuilding is expected to cost $25 million to $30 million, and Union Pacific officials said they hope to resume one line of service by April 1 and the other by May 1. The fire, which threw up a smoke plume seen for 50 miles, prompted county health officials to issue warnings. The still-smoldering fire spread ashes for several miles Friday, prompting residents miles away to report smelling the acrid smoke. "If you see or smell smoke, restrict your outside activities," Sacramento County Health Officer Glennah Trochet said. Asthmatics, the very young and old, and people with respiratory disease "should be particularly careful," she said. The plume of smoke continued to waft above the site throughout the day, even as demolition crews began tearing into the remains of the trestle. The century-old trestle was saturated with the wood preservative creosote, a toxic material containing arsenic, copper and poly aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that include benzopyrene, a well-documented human carcinogen. "It's a who's who of bad actors," said Tommy Cahill, a University of Arizona toxicologist. An army of state and federal officials were on the scene Friday examining the fire's environmental consequences. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board took air samples at at the fire site and in surrounding urban areas. Officials reported they detected no immediate threat to water quality in the American River, but California Department of Fish and Game officials took water and soil samples for laboratory analysis. Demolition crews are expected to work through the weekend clearing tons of charred and burned debris, Union Pacific officials said. Some 1,400 feet of timber and rail is expected to be removed by cranes and bulldozers, Union Pacific spokesman James Barnes said. Once the clearing is finished, Barnes said, Union Pacific hopes to begin work immediately on building a new trestle of concrete and steel. Barnes said the wooden structure will be replaced by concrete because railroad officials "saw this as an opportunity to try to make some improvements." Parts for the new trestle are to arrive by train and truck as early as today from UP yards in California, Arizona, Texas and Nebraska. Bridge engineers at Union Pacific headquarters in Omaha have worked out the number of pieces and dimensions, from the H-beam steel pilings (256, each 60 feet long) to the concrete girders (184, 30 feet long by 7 feet wide by 3 feet high). "Our challenge is the logistics of getting materials from all over our system," said Dave Wickersham, chief engineer for the western region of Union Pacific. Amtrak officials, who run several trains a day on that line, including the California Zephyr to Chicago, said about 600 train passengers a day are expected to be affected while the line is being rebuilt. Half of those commute on the Capitol Corridor trains between Sacramento and the Roseville, Rocklin and Auburn stations and will be transported around the fire zone on buses. "The train will be waiting for them when they get off the buses," said David Kutrosky, deputy director of the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority. "They should expect a 10- to 15-minute delay." Several Capitol Corridor train commuters lauded officials Friday for alerting riders via e-mail and sending buses to stations on time. "Capitol Corridor did a fabulous job of regrouping," said rider Chuck Robuck of Auburn. "They had buses ready and got us to work on time." Amtrak's long-distance California Zephyr trains will be diverted through Marysville, spokeswoman Vernae Graham said. Freight trains that usually travel through Sacramento will be diverted to the Marysville line, causing delays of at least 90 minutes, said Union Pacific spokesman Mark Davis. That means the Marysville line, which normally handles about 20 trains a day, will do double duty throughout the trestle reconstruction. Freight train delays will be exacerbated for trains that need to stop for sorting at Union Pacific's large Roseville railyard. These trains load and unload canisters for different destinations -- some go south to Stockton, for example, while some head to Oakland. Delays for trains that need cargo sorted could last up to 24 hours, Davis said. That is expected to cause problems for companies expecting goods at a particular time. "It's everything and anything," Davis said. "It could be electronics, motorcycles, paint." Officials warned residents in Lincoln, Wheatland and Rio Linda of another hassle: Motorists along the detour route will be much more likely to suffer long waits for trains to pass in the coming weeks. Also, Sacramento County officials announced closure of a section of the American River Parkway bicycle trail from mile 3.5 to mile six. The trail runs under a burned section of the trestle south of Exposition Boulevard. ### Here's a video link: http://www.sacbee.com/static/newsroom/traintrestle

The delays continue on Ohio Amtrak trains. Today: Train 30, EB Capitol Ltd, running 5.5 hours late Train 29, WB Capitol Ltd, due to arrive Chicago at 4:14 p.m. (7.5 hours late) Train 48, EB Lake Shore Ltd, info N/A due to unknown rail service disruption Train 49, WB Lake Shore Ltd, due to arrive Chicago at 5:32 pm (7.75 hours late) I suspect some of this was due to the snowstorm on the East Coast. But the delay to Train 30 was from axle/traction motor problems. I don't know what the unknown service disruption was to Train 48, but it appears to have been annulled. Welcome to the Third World.

Worth reading, printing, copying and sharing with others.... http://www.simmonsco-intl.com/files/Coloardo%20College%20March%205%20to%207.pdf Also note the section on page 7 about Ohio being one of the four worst energy parasites (energy-deficit states) in the USA. California, Florida and New York are the other three. In other words, when the shit hits the fan, Ohio's suffering will be among the worst -- unless we change our policies to promote more sustainable transportation and land use practices.

http://www.greencarcongress.com/GCC-logo.png Auto Industry Leaders Tell Congress They Would Support Mobile Source CO2 Caps in Principle 16 March 2007 In testimony before the House Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality this week, the heads of the United Autoworkers, GM, Toyota North America, Ford, and the Chrysler Group all agreed, in response to a question from the committee, that they would support national caps on mobile source CO2 emissions, depending on the details of the program and especially assuming that it factored in the entire sector—i.e., fuel providers as well as automakers. The hearing was exploring the feasibility of using a new version of the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) program—specifically the 4% per year increase proposed by the Administration. Although the enthusiasm for such a boost in existing CAFE-style regulations ranged from non-existent to barely tepid, the witnesses agreed to work with the committee on developing regulations targeted at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. More of this article, including specific testimony by auto-industry reps, appears at: http://www.greencarcongress.com/2007/03/auto_industry_l.html#more

There's got to be a location on the east side where something like this would work. Maybe somewhere along Euclid or near University Circle? If Gallucci's and the Food Coop became anchor tenants, I'll bet it would succeed.

Where is Bar One? Is that the place seen to the right of the entrance to the Leader Building?

I'm happy with my given name, Erectus Maximus.

CDM should change his name to Facetious, the Greek God of horse puckey.

I love Toronto. I hate Toronto (jealous is more like it)....

That last photo is going to make an interesting then-and-now comparison in a few years.

Thanks for taking notes last night, Musky. I thought it was a good meeting and a good start. I'll comment more later.

There is a big difference between a study and a plan. A study is a test with little or no potential end product other than the study document. What we're trying to get funding for is a plan, with the end product being a transit service and the economic development surrounding transit nodes along the corridor. We're also trying to make it a little easier on ourselves by avoiding federal funding, which is scarce and involves a long, complicated process. The only federal funds that will likely be considered is if Congress puts money into an unfunded program called "Small Starts" -- new transit routes with low start-up costs.

I've never had a cat do that to me. If you don't know how to communicate with and approach cats, better stay away from them. I get along great with them. That includes cats that friends or relatives warn me to stay away from because of how they respond to strangers. Yet I can get them to warm up to me, to start purring and even cuddle in my arms. My own cats are probably the only "children" I will ever have.

Amazingly, no thread on this either. There should be, considering the major discussions underway on the fate of the soon-to-be-insolvent federal Highway Trust Fund. ____________________ http://www.stateline.org/live/details/story?contentId=187179 Thursday, March 08, 2007 Report: Tolls can't meet future highway needs By Eric Kelderman, Stateline.org Staff Writer State highway officials warned Wednesday (March 7) of a looming $11 billion hole in federal highway funds and said the growing shift toward tolls and private leases of roads can’t generate enough money to meet the nation’s short- or long-term transportation needs. Instead, the federal gas tax of 18.4 cents per gallon, last raised 14 years ago, would have to go up at least 3 cents by 2009 and 7 cents more by 2015 just to maintain the current highway system and keep pace with the fast-rising cost of roads, according to a new report (http://www.transportation1.org/tif1report) by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). One popular solution to road-funding woes involves state and local governments adding toll lanes or leasing toll roads to private companies. In 2005, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels ® inked a $3.85 billion deal to lease the Indiana Toll Road to an international consortium for 75 years. In 2002, Texas Gov. Rick Perry ® launched a 50-year plan to build 4,000 miles of privately financed toll roads along portions of I-69 and I-35. Pennsylvania and New Jersey are considering leasing portions of their toll roads to private companies. More at link above AASHTO Report: Transportation - Invest In Our Future (http://www.transportation1.org/tif1report/)

Next meeting West Shore Corridor Stakeholders 1:00-2:30 p.m. Friday, March 30 Lakewood Womens Pavilion Lakewood Park, of Lake Road at Belle Avenue Lakewood Mayor Tom George and All Aboard Ohio invite you to attend a special meeting of the West Shore Corridor Stakeholders. AAO is grateful to Mayor George for hosting this meeting. Special guest speaker: A very informative guest speaker will be Stephen Del Giudice, Transit Bureau Chief in Arlington County Virginia, and former mayor (1985-1990) of Takoma Park, Maryland. Subject: Major transit investments and their impacts on urban sprawl, inner communities, access to jobs and station-area redevelopment. Mr. Del Giudice's experience in municipal government, regional transportation planning and development will provide insights on issues and action steps they have already worked on and which Northeast Ohio is now facing. Background: Arlington County is comprised primarily older communities across the Potomac River from Washington D.C. By 1980, many areas in the county suffered from decayed commercial corridors in their oldest communities. Arlington County has seen significant redevelopment along major transit lines, including two commuter rail services added in the 1990s into exurban Virginia. Meanwhile Takoma Park is an inner-ring suburb on a long-established commuter rail route into rural Maryland. Detail: Since Arlington County developed rail services and integrated Transit-Oriented Development, it has accomplished a great deal, while still protecting its single family neighborhoods. Consider: • Since 1980's, 75 percent of Arlington's 30 million square feet of new development is around transit stops. • 33 percent of tax base is located in 7 percent of land in TOD's. • Core Transit Corridor is now one of nation's 5 densest downtowns. • Vacancy rates half those of exurban Tyson's Corner, Virginia. • Lowest tax rate in DC metro area. Additional agenda items: update on the federal funding request by Lorain County, follow-up by subcommittee on identifying non-federal funding shares for alternatives analysis, and possibly a presentation by a Michigan firm which is supplying second-hand rail cars from Chicago for new commuter rail services in Southeast Michigan.

MEETING SUMMARY West Shore Corridor Stakeholders February 23, 2007 Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency Board Meeting Room NOTE: The next full meeting of the West Shore Corridor Stakeholders will be held at 1 p.m. Friday March 30 at Lakewood Women's Pavilion in Lakewood Park, off Lake Road at Belle Ave. Special guest speaker: A very informative guest speaker at the March 30 stakeholders meeting will be Stephen Del Giudice, Transit Bureau Chief in Arlington County Virginia, and mayor (1985-1990) of Takoma Park, Maryland. He will discuss his region’s experiences with major transit projects and their impacts on urban sprawl, inner communities, access to jobs and station-area redevelopment. _________________________ FEB. 23 MEETING HIGHLIGHTS (Full Summary follows attendees list) Lorain County officials said they have agreed to sponsor the West Shore Transit Corridor project and submit an application for $1.5 million in federal funding in each of the two years to do an alternatives analysis of transportation improvements. County officials are meeting with staff for U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton (D-13) and U.S. Marcy Kaptur (D-9) to secure the funding. Resolutions in support of federal funding for the alternatives analysis have been passed thus far by Cleveland City Council, Lakewood City County, Westlake City Council, Lorain Port Authority board and Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority board. More communities and organizations are encouraged to pass the resolution. The draft resolution is available at: http://members.cox.net/kjprendergast/SAMPLE_RESOLUTION.doc (MS Word, 24kb) Rep. Dennis Kucinich will support the West Shore Corridor planning work if there also is a consensus of support from Rocky River and Bay Village, where city councils are considering whether to pass resolutions urging Congress to approve federal funds for the alternatives analysis. Non-federal funding in the amount of $300,000 in each of the next two years is also being sought. Meetings were held with Gov. Ted Strickland’s Northeast Ohio representative Anne Hill to identify state funding support and a new subcommittee was formed to identify local funding sources. The possibility of a demonstration commuter rail and/or express bus service was discussed, and the new subcommittee will also take a look at that, as well as developing a scope of work for the alternatives analysis once funding is identified. __________________________ ATTENDEES - At the Feb 23rd meeting, there were 35 attendees (listed alphabetically by last name): Jim Armaline, Planner, Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency Andrew Bemer, Law Director, City of Rocky River Betty Blair, Commissioner, Lorain County Bob Brown, President, NOACA; Director, Cleveland City Planning Joe Calabrese, General Manager, Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) Michael Challender, Executive Director, Lorain Growth Corporation Mary Cierebiej, Deputy Project Manager, HNTB, Cleveland Dennis Clough, Mayor, City of Westlake Brian J. Cummins, Ward 15 Councilman, Cleveland City Council Karen L. Davis, Special Projects Manager, Lorain County Edward Favre, Lakewood mayor’s office and Lakewood Board of Education Maribeth Feke, Director, Programming & Planning, GCRTA Tom Ferguson, General Manager, Lorain County Transit Sheri Fointino, Director of Development, Greater Cleveland Partnership Marty Gelfand, Staff Counsel, Congressman Dennis Kucinich Paul Gluck, Professional Engineer, CH2M Hill, Cleveland David Hartman, Director of Business Development, RE Warner & Associates, Westlake Anne Hill, Director, Northeast Ohio office, Governor Ted Strickland, Cleveland Kevin Kelley, Ward 16, Cleveland City Councilman Coletta Kubik, co-chair, Concerned Citizens of Vermilion Dennis Lamont, Lorain Street Railway Will McCracken, Lorain County National Historic Area Committee John Motl, Planning & Programs, District 12, Ohio Department of Transportation Stu Nicholson, Public Information Officer, Ohio Rail Development Commission Rick Novak, Executive Director, Lorain Port Authority Bob Parry, Director of Planning & Economic Development, City of Westlake Ken Prendergast, Director of Research & Communications, All Aboard Ohio Rocky River councilman attended, did not sign attendance sheet Mark Schwinn, All Aboard Ohio, Berwin, Illinois Nathan W. Torres, resident, Cleveland Vince Urbin, Development Department, Lorain County Ginny Vigrass, resident, Lakewood Jerome Walcott, Associate Director, Commission on Catholic Community Action Ceil Zander, Capt. William Young Bed & Breakfast, Vermilion George Zeller, Center for Community Solutions and GCRTA Citizens Advisory Board _________________________ FULL SUMMARY Bob Brown, President of the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency and Cleveland City Planning Director, welcomed everyone to the fifth full meeting of the West Shore Corridor Stakeholders. He said that transit meets Cleveland’s goals and that the city is willing to support the West Shore Corridor (WSC) project. Further, he noted that cities need to maximize transit options and that rail options make a lot of sense. Betty Blair, Lorain County Commissioner, said she and other Lorain County officials met with staff for U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton (D-13) and will meet with staff of U.S. Marcy Kaptur (D-9). She said Lorain County will sponsor the West Shore Corridor Transit Project and submit an application for federal funds for planning work. Rick Novak, Executive Director, Lorain Port Authority, said the county is looking for $1.5 million in each of the next two federal fiscal years to do an alternatives analysis of transportation improvements in the WSC. Ken Prendergast, Director of Research & Communications, All Aboard Ohio, said he and Commissioner Blair, Mayor Clough, Ed Favre, Mayor George, Councilman Kelley, Dennis Lamont, Will McCracken and Rick Novak met with Gov. Strickland’s Northeast Ohio liaison Anne Hill about a state funding share for the alternatives analysis and inquired about $50 million in state development funds for a demonstration/introductory commuter rail/express bus service in the WSC. He added that resolutions in support of federal funding for the alternatives analysis have been passed by Cleveland City Council, Lakewood City County, Westlake City Council, Lorain Port Authority board, Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority board. Others are being asked to pass the resolution. He said it is not a commuter rail resolution but a study resolution. Dennis Clough, Westlake mayor, said he supports council’s resolution and talked to Rep. Dennis Kucinich who said as long as West Shore communities support the WSC project, he’ll support it. Marty Gelfand, Chief Counsel to Rep. Kucinich, discussed the agreement with freight railroad Norfolk Southern on the limiting of train traffic to an average of 14 through trains per day. He said the region ended up with a good agreement to which Bay Village, Lakewood and Rocky River were signatories. He hadn’t yet seen the Lakewood resolution in support of WSC. He added that Kucinich will support the request for funds if there is a consensus of support from mayors, law directors and councilmembers in Rocky River and Bay Village, where city councils are also considering whether to pass resolutions urging Congress to approve federal funds for the alternatives analysis. Andrew Bemer, Rocky River Law Director, said council has the WSC resolution on second reading. Ed Favre, Lakewood Mayor George’s office, said Lakewood supports the WSC and city council passed the resolution. He also has spoken with NS Vice President Bill Harris and said railroad companies might be interested in managing a commuter train service. Lakewood Community Progress Inc. is engaged in a process for making downtown Lakewood more pedestrian oriented and sees commuter rail as a piece of that. Maribeth Feke, Director, Programming & Planning, GCRTA, said NOACA has planning funds available through its Transportation for Livable Communities Initiative (TLCI) program for station-area development. GCRTA is using TLCI funds for station-area planning at its rapid transit stations. Brown said a station-area design/planning activities for West 117th at the Lakewood-Cleveland border were underway at a meeting being held today (Feb. 23). Howard Maier, Executive Director of NOACA, confirmed the appropriateness of TLCI for station-area redevelopment planning and encouraged Lakewood and other communities to submit applications. Prendergast said non-federal contributions of $300,000 in each of the next two years to the alternatives analysis are needed considering Lorain County’s tight financial situation. A request for state funding was made through Strickland’s representative Hill, but local shares would help leverage state and federal funding. Novak said he will ask the Lorain Port Authority’s board for a local share. Maier said NOACA has some reserve funds. Joe Calabrese, General Manager of GCRTA, said the level of benefit to local entities should be a factor in their contributions. Brian Cummins, Cleveland Ward 15 Councilman, said there should be a subcommittee of stakeholders to develop a strategy for local contributions. He was willing to co-chair a subcommittee. Novak also agreed to co-chair the subcommittee. Feke, McCracken and possibly retiring RTA Planning Team Leader Rich Enty also will serve on the subcommittee. A meeting of the subcommittee prior to the next full stakeholders committee was discussed. Prendergast said a demonstration commuter rail and/or express bus service should be considered for a piece of the alternatives analysis to determine potential ridership and community impacts. A commuter rail demonstration might be done for up to $50 million over two years, with a significant portion of the funding going for Quiet Zones. Second-hand train equipment could be used to reduce costs. Dennis Lamont of Lorain Street Railway said Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad self-propelled rail diesel cars should be considered and NS could operate it. Favre said a commuter rail demonstration would need to be set up by a new entity since there is nothing like it in Ohio. Stu Nicholson, Public Information Officer at the Ohio Rail Development Commission, said a steering committee set up for doing the due diligence for a 2-C (Cleveland-Columbus) interim rail passenger service would be a good model for a demonstration WSC service. Feke said state law gives transit agencies a monopoly in the counties in which they are based. Cooperative agreements may need a vote of the counties. There was general discussion that the same subcommittee seeking to identify local shares for the alternatives analysis could also develop a scope of work for the alternatives analysis and begin looking at oversight structure(s) for a demonstration commuter rail and/or express bus service. Meeting was concluded at roughly 2:30 p.m.

http://www.cleveland.com/sun/sunherald/index.ssf?/base/news-0/11727713033390.xml&coll=3 West Shore Sun Rail plan gets a boost Thursday, March 01, 2007 By Leana Donofrio WESTLAKE - City officials said they are supporting the creation of a commuter rail that connects Lorain to Cleveland because of the boost it will give to all of northeast Ohio. .......

http://www.ble.org:80/pr/news/headline.asp?id=18138 Senate Democrats propose $1.78 billion for Amtrak (The Associated Press circulated the following article by Sarah Karush on March 15.) WASHINGTON -- The Senate’s budget plan includes a boon for Amtrak - $1.78 billion for intercity passenger rail, nearly twice the amount proposed by President Bush and even more than Amtrak’s own budget request. The amount, announced Wednesday by Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J, is included in the plan being unveiled by Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.D. It matches the amount called for in a broad, six-year Amtrak authorization bill introduced in January by Lautenberg and Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss The $1.78 billion includes $100 million in the form of matching grants for states to use to develop rail service on key corridors in their territory and $50 million to pay for upgrades needed to make Amtrak stations compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Amtrak’s request, including those two items, totaled $1.68 billion. Amtrak spokeswoman Karina Romero called the proposed $1.78 billion “very encouraging.” It’s unlikely that Congress will give Amtrak more than it asked for, though theoretically the extra money could be moved over to expand the state grant program. Amtrak wants to establish such a program to help states fund their own rail service over frequently traveled routes that have no rail connection or limited service. Already, 14 states pay Amtrak for service, but supporters of a matching program say many more would seek to expand service if federal support was available. President Bush is also a supporter of the idea. His budget proposal also calls for $100 million for state matching grants, though it would pare Amtrak’s direct subsidy down to $800 million. Amtrak is getting $1.3 billion for the current fiscal year. The railroad’s funding prospects are considered better now that Democrats control Congress. “We’re on our way to building a 21st-century rail system, one that continues to serve travelers like those in New Jersey, but that will serve new passengers as we expand our corridor service,” Lautenberg said in a statement. “We’re finally giving people a real choice between the congestion of our highways and airports and the convenience of a train.” Thursday, March 15, 2007

So do we know what the governor's proposed transportation budget has for the non-highway modes? Any dollar figures available??

Don't hate to say it. That's a good blog.