States Collect High-Speed Rail Funds Spurned by New Governors

The U.S. Dept. of Transportation is redistributing to 14 states $1.2 billion in high-speed-rail funds originally awarded to Wisconsin and Ohio, whose governors-elect have pledged to kill rail projects launched by their predecessors.

U.S. DOT said on Dec. 9 that California would get up to $624 million, the largest share of the reallocated rail funds. DOT had previously awarded $3.2 billion to the Golden State for its ambitious rail plan.

Florida will get as much as $342.3 million under the redistribution. The state's incoming governor Rick Scott, has said he's opposed to proceeding with a proposed Orlando-Tampa rail line if Florida is required to contribute any of its own funds.

Florida has received $2 billion in federal rail funds so far, but officials have estimated the state is $350 million short of what they need Orlando-Tampa project. The new funds from U.S. DOT would about close that gap.

A U.S. DOT spokesperson says that the Federal Railroad Administration and Florida "are actively working to make progress on the state�s high-speed rail plan."

LaHood said, "I am pleased that so many other states are enthusiastic about the additional support they are receiving to help bring America�s high-speed rail network to life."

The U.S. DOT spokesperson says that the $1.2 billion was "redistributed to states in proportion to the amount of their initial high-speed rail awards."

Wisconsin Governors elect Scott Walker [R] has said he will cancel a planned 80-mile line from Madison to Milwaukee. U.S. DOT has awarded Wisconsin $810 million for that project so far.

Wisconsin, however, will receive up to $2 million from DOT for upgrades on the existing Milwaukee-Chicago "Hiawatha" train service.

In Ohio, incoming Gov. John Kasich [R] has pledged to halt plans for a Cleveland-Columbus-Cincinnati rail network. Ohio had been awarded won $400 million from U.S. DOT for that plan.

U.S. DOT has awarded $10.5 billion in high speed rail funds, including $8 billion from the 2009 stimulus act and $2.5 billion from regular appropriations.

Besides California and Florida, the other state allotments are:

Washington State: up to $161.5 million

Illinois: up to $42.3 million

New York: up to $7.3 million

Maine: up to $3.3 million

Massachusetts: up to $2.8 million

Vermont: up to $2.7 million

Missouri up to $2.2 million

Wisconsin: up to $2 million for the Hiawatha line

Oregon: up to $1.6 million

North Carolina: up to $1.5 million

Iowa: up to $309,080

Indiana: up to $364,980

Tom Ichniowski has been writing about the federal government as ENR’s Washington Bureau Chief since the George H.W. Bush administration, and he has covered at least five major highway bills. A recognized expert on government policy on infrastructure and regulation, Tom is also a Baltimore native and Orioles fan who grew up rooting for Brooks and Frank Robinson. He is a graduate of Columbia College and Columbia’s graduate school of journalism, where he once used “unrelentless” in a headline.

Post a comment to this article

The Groundbreaking Women in Construction (GWIC) conference is a leading event focusing on empowering women in the construction industry through discussions on leadership, diversity, and career development.

The annual conference features a wide array of topics, including infrastructure law, sustainability, and strategies to overcome industry challenges.

Coinciding with the release of the new 2024 Top 400 Contractors list, this annual webinar dives into the results of the Top 400 survey. We'll bring together a panel of executives from the largest contracting firms to discuss the industry’s pressing issues, from workforce challenges to data security.