Vermont Business Magazine Representative Peter Welch voted today on passage of a five-year, $715 billion surface transportation reauthorization and water infrastructure bill. The INVEST in America Act includes four Welch-nominated transportation projects throughout Vermont, totaling $20 million in funding.
The INVEST in America Act will rebuild and modernize the nation’s roads, bridges, transit, and rail by investing in sustainable and climate focused initiatives. The bill also includes historic levels of federal assistance to states and local communities for water infrastructure improvements.
“We all know our roads, bridges, rail and water systems are crumbling and outdated,” Welch said. “It is long overdue for Congress to take the bold steps necessary to rebuild our communities by investing in resilient and sustainable infrastructure projects. It doesn't matter if you live in a Blue district or a Red district -- there is a universal benefit to safe and solid infrastructure. I am particularly pleased the bill includes four critical Vermont projects that will make our communities stronger now and into the future. I look forward to working with the Senate to get this bill across the finish line and to the President’s desk.”
The INVEST in America Act includes Member Designated Projects, which are local projects that individual members nominated for inclusion into the final bill. The Welch Member Designated Projects included are:
- Railyard Enterprise Project - Burlington, VT: $2,250,000
- Quarry Street and Quarry Hill Road Intersection Reconstruction - Barre, VT: $4,750,000
- Essex Junction Crescent Connector - Essex, VT: $5,400,000
- Quechee Gorge Bridge Rehabilitation - Hartford, VT: $7,600,000
You can find the full list of Welch-nominated projects BELOW. The House passed bill will be sent to the Senate for its consideration.
Member-Designated Transportation Projects
The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) plans to advance surface transportation authorization legislation later this spring. Chairman Peter DeFazio announced that the T&I Committee will formally accept requests for projects from House Members.
The T&I Committee process for considering member projects is separate and distinct from the House Committee on Appropriations’ process for considering Community Project Funding requests. Projects funded through the surface transportation authorization will be funded directly from the Highway Trust Fund, and they do not require a separate or subsequent appropriation.
Project Eligibility
Capital projects eligible under title 23, United States Code, and chapter 53 of title 49, United States Code, are eligible for funding requests under T&I’s project submission process.
The best way to ensure project eligibility is to select projects included in the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) or Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), as those projects have already been certified as eligible for Federal Highway Administration or Federal Transit Administration funding and do not require further verification of eligibility.
For projects not in the STIP or TIP, additional documentation is required, including verification about whether the project can be added to the STIP or TIP in a reasonable timeframe, whether the project is on a long-range transportation plan, and verification of eligibility for the proposed activity under title 23 or chapter 53 of title 49 by the relevant federal agency.
Further, project sponsors must demonstrate the ability to fully obligate any funds provided within the obligation window, and must demonstrate a proven ability to finance the remaining costs not funded by the Committee, as well as the required non-federal cost share.
Transparency
All projects nominated by Congressman Welch to the T&I Committee are listed below. Members will be required to certify that neither they nor their immediate family have a financial interest in the nominations made.
Projects Nominated
Project Sponsor: Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTRANS)/City of Burlington
Project Name: Railyard Enterprise Project
Project Location: 220 Battery Street Burlington, Vermont 05401
Requested Amount: $2.25 million
Project Sponsor: Green Mountain Transit Authority (GMT)
Project Name: GMT Rehab & Renovation of Maintenance and Storage Facility
Project Location: 31 Queen City Park Road Burlington, Vermont 05401
Requested Amount: $2.02 million
Project Sponsor: Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans)
Project Name: Barre City-Barre Town VT Route 14 / Quarry Street and Quarry Hill Road Intersection Reconstruction
Project Location: Quarry Street and Quarry Hill, Barre, Vermont 05641
Requested Amount: $4.75 million
Project Sponsor: Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans)
Project Name: Central Vermont Transit Operations & Maintenance Facility
Project Location: Central Vermont
Requested Amount: $4.4 million
Project Sponsor: Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans)
Project Name: Essex Crescent Connector
Project Location: Essex, Vermont 05452
Requested Amount: $5.4 million
Project Sponsor: Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans)
Project Name: Town of Hartford (Quechee) U.S 4 Bridge Rehabilitation
Project Location: U.S Route 4, Hartford (Quechee), Vermont 05059
Requested Amount: $7.6 million
Project Sponsor: Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans)
Project Name: Town of Pittsford U.S 7 Bridge Replacement
Project Location: U.S 7, Pittsford, Vermont 05763
Requested Amount: $5.4 million
Project Sponsor: Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans)
Project Name: Town of Readsboro VT Route 100 Bridge Replacement
Project Location: Vermont Route 100, Readsboro, Vermont 05350
Requested Amount: $9 million
Source: WASHINGTON - Welch 7.1.2021