DOT Announces Additional High-Speed Rail Funding

Nancy Anderson
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The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has announced the latest funding for high-speed rail projects across the country, with funding being awarded to 54 projects in 23 states. This round of funding follows this past January’s USD$8 billion that was part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), though these fund come from the regular DOT 2009/2010 appropriations.

The ARRA funds did not require project sponsors to to match any of the federal grant funds, where this round required state and municipal organizations to secure 20% of the requested funds to be considered for the grant. Of the $2.5 billion available, DOT received over $8.8 billion in applications for this round.

The biggest recipients of the federal money were California, who received another $900 million for their rail projects, over and above the $2.3 billion the state received from ARRA in January, and Florida, receiving an additional $800 million to the $1.25 billion from ARRA. California is looking to fund an expansive high-speed network across the state, with a total estimated price of $45 billion. Florida is currently only working on a Tampa-Orlando high speed line, though other projects are in the works.
 
 
 
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Mike Wrightly is mostly diesel fumes and duct tape; he grew up around heavy equipment, and holds a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering.
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