Saturday, September 18, 1999
N.Ky. may get nearly $11M in appropriations
Projects: Buses, bridges, flood control
BY PATRICK CROWLEY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
FORT WRIGHT — Northern Kentucky may receive nearly $11 million for buses, bridge ramps and flood control planning under federal spending bills pending in Congress.
The bills are part of appropriation bills Congress is attempting to pass before Oct. 1, the beginning of the federal government's new fiscal year.
The amounts and projects that may be funded were announced this week by Kentucky's two U.S. senators, Republicans Jim Bunning of Southgate and Mitch McConnell of Louisville.
“For years Kentucky did not receive its fair share of federal transportation dollars,” Mr. Bunning said. “We always sent more to Washington in federal gas tax money than we got back in infrastructure investment.”
The Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky (TANK) would receive $3.4 million to purchase new buses under a federal transportation appropriations bill passed Thursday by the U.S. Senate.
Funding for TANK was included in the bill by Mr. McConnell.
“With the Senate's approval of the bill, (TANK) is one step closer to having the necessary resources to accommodate the transportation needs of the ever-growing Northern Kentucky area,” Mr. McConnell said.
“We are fortunate to have an area where the economy is booming and the population is growing, and I believe that this project will help the community deal with the trans portation needs of its thriving region,” he said.
TANK has said the money would pay for 16 new buses.
The bill also includes $7 million for the construction of ramps to the Taylor Southgate Bridge in Newport and the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge in Covington.
The ramps, which would be built as part of the Fort Washington Way reconstruction, would connect Second Street in Cincinnati with the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge, which runs from Third Street in Cincinnati to Fourth Street in Covington; and connect Broadway in Cincinnati and the Taylor-Southgate Bridge, which connects Second Street in Cincinnati and York Street in Newport.
The bill now goes to a Congressional conference committee, where House and Senate members will work out differences in versions of the $490 million bill passed by each chamber.
Mr. McConnell also announced that the Senate Appropriations Committee approved his request for $500,000 to study flood control in the Northern Kentucky watershed basin.
The study will focus on the impact flooding from heavy rains has on Northern Kentucky's sewer system. It will enable the Sanitation District region to study the problem and look for ways to improve the system.
“No one should have to worry about their sewer system flooding every time it rains,” Mr. McConnell said. “This project will allow the community to identify needed improvements to the sewer system to prevent unsanitary overflows.”
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