Linda Sánchez Calls on CTC to Fully Fund Crucial I-5 Project (Oct. 23, 2012)
Cerritos, CA – Today, Congresswoman Linda Sánchez (CA-39) is urging the California Transportation Commission (CTC) to reject eliminating $72 million in funding from the Interstate 5 Carpool Lane Project. In a meeting set for tomorrow in Sacramento, the CTC will consider slashing Corridor Mobility Improvement Account (CMIA) funding from the project which extends from the Orange County Line to the I-605 in Los Angeles County.
"La Mirada and the surrounding cities of Southeast Los Angeles County have been working their hardest for almost twenty years to make this project a reality," said Congresswoman Sánchez. "We can't afford to jeopardize completing the I-5 Carpool Lane Project now. Millions of Southern Californians rely on this section of the I-5 every day for commuting and for commerce. For our local economy to thrive, it is imperative that we alleviate congestion in this important corridor."
Congresswoman Sánchez today sent a letter to CTC commissioners urging them to fully fund this critical infrastructure project. The full text of the letter is below.
October 23, 2012
Members of the California Transportation Commission
1120 N Street, Room 2221 (MS-52)
Sacramento, CA 95814
Dear Commissioners:
I am writing to express my profound concern regarding the October 24 California Transportation Commission (CTC) meeting agenda. It has come to my attention that the CTC will be considering eliminating approximately $72 million in Corridor Mobility Improvement Account (CMIA) funding from the Interstate 5 Carpool Lane Project (Orange County Line to I-605) in Los Angeles County.
For close to twenty years, Caltrans, the City of La Mirada, and neighboring cities of Southeast Los Angeles County have dedicated their valuable resources, time, and hard work towards one goal: breaking ground on this project. These cities have worked overtime to locate resources for this project as they try to meet difficult budget challenges of their own. By threatening to now take away CMIA funds from this project, the CTC threatens to paralyze our local economy and impede progress toward alleviating congestion for millions of Southern California commuters who travel this section of Interstate 5 every day.
It is my understanding that the CTC's funding re-allocation is being proposed because the CTC utilized measures that yielded cost savings in bid amounts from three of the five project segments. However, I urge that any projected savings remain part of the overall Interstate 5 Corridor Lane Project in Los Angeles County. Just as in any large infrastructure project, the remaining two segments will contain inevitable change-orders and other unforeseeable cost variations.
I fully support the CTC's efforts to be fiscally responsible and efficient with the taxpayers' money, but any attempts to shortchange the communities of Southeast Los Angeles County is totally unacceptable. We must not jeopardize the completion of this project.
Please let me know if I can be helpful to ensure that this project advances.
Sincerely,
Linda T. Sánchez
Member of Congress
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