FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, January 17, 2001
Contact: Bill Adams
Telephone: 202-366-5580
DOT 12-01
U.S. Transportation Secretary Slater Announces $4.8 Million in Grants for Arkansas Transportation Projects
U.S. Transportation Secretary Rodney E. Slater today announced $4.8 million in grants for Arkansas transit, airports, rural transportation studies, and highway safety.
"The projects we are funding will yield big dividends in terms of safety, mobility, economic growth, jobs and improved quality of life in Arkansas communities," Secretary Slater said. "President Clinton and Vice President Gore leave a legacy of record investment in transportation infrastructure, and these grants are testimony to their commitment."
The grants Secretary Slater announced today include:
- $1.96 million for the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department to purchase 49 replacement buses for statewide distribution. Thirty-one will be for public transit, and 18 will be for transporting elderly persons and those with disabilities. All these new vehicles will replace like vehicles because the latter have met or exceeded the states useful life criteria for these buses.
- $490,547 to purchase three replacement buses for the Razorback Transit System in Fayetteville. These funds supplement an earlier grant and will help to fully fund the three buses and buy another bus. The total of four buses also will replace like vehicles.
- $500,000 to complete construction of a parallel taxiway at Harrell Field in Camden, Ark.
- $487,575 to improve safety by rehabilitating taxiway lighting at the South Arkansas Regional Airport at Godwin Field in El Dorado, Ark. The lighting will help pilots while taxiing to and from the runway at night and during inclement weather.
- $659,700 to complete the extension of Runway 36 at Stuttgart Municipal Airport in Stuttgart, Ark.
- $646,800 in Research and Special Programs Administration Funds to the University of Arkansas to operate a university-based center of excellence in transportation on its campus. This grant supports the Mack-Blackwell National Rural Transportation Study Center, established in 1992 under a similar grant. The center specializes in rural transportation.
- $96,218 to implement child passenger protection programs designed to prevent motor vehicle crash deaths and injuries to children.
Earlier this month Secretary Slater announced $9.9 million in grants for airport improvements in Arkansas. Grants totaling $9.4 million are to be used for additional construction at the new Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport in Fayetteville, and out of this $9.4 million, $2.4 million will be targeted for construction of the new terminal building, airport security vehicles and the airport’s security system.
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