NewsLanc has been advised by the Law Office of William J. Cluck as follows:
“US DOT announced the recipients of $1.5 billion in federal transportation stimulus funding this morning.
“The Lancaster County Transportation Coordinating Committee’s application to fund the improvements for High Real Estate’s Crossings shopping center (upgrading Route 30 and Harrisburg Pike) and relocation of the Norfolk Southern railyard and redesigning the intersection of 283 and 722 was not included in the awards.”
I thought that both of these proposals were to be funded using normal procedures, not stimulus funds, since both were proposed long before there was a Federal stimulus program.
Does this mean that both proposals are dead, or that both are back in line for conventional transportation funding?
High Real Estate will have to find another source of funding to upgrade the intersection at Rt 30 and Hbg Pike. Since it is an election year, watch for Senator Specter to try and earmark about $25 million in a separate appropriations bill.
As for the Northwest Gateway, I believe the TIGER grant application allotted $7.5 million toward it. This does not kill the project, but it will require F&M and LGH to obtain other people’s money from another source.
Again, pay attention to your US Senator in an election year.