SCHUMER, CLINTON: SENATE TRANSPORTATION BILL HAS FUNDING FOR RTE 15 SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS

Senators secure $4 million to go towards expanding highway between Presho & PA
US Senators Charles E. Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton today announced that the Senate Appropriations Committee has included $4 million FY02 Transportation Appropriations bill to help pay for safety repairs on a six mile stretch of Route 15 extending from Presho to the Pennsylvanian border. The funding will go toward expanding the highway from two lanes to four.

Route 15 is slated to become I-99 starting in 2005 when Pennsylvania upgrades its portion of the highway up to Interstate standards. At that time, the four lane Pennsylvanian portion of the highway will convert to two lanes at the New York border. Schumer and Clinton said that expanding the New York section of the road to four lanes is necessary to prevent the accidents and other safety hazards that will be created by the merging traffic.

"Four lanes merging into two is a traffic nightmare waiting to happen. This situation is only going to get worse as traffic on the road builds up over the next few years," Schumer said. "This funding will get the ball rolling to start making these crucial upgrades and I am going to keep working with Senator Clinton and the delegation to complete this project."

"I am so pleased that Senator Schumer and I were able to secure this funding, which can help prevent traffic accidents before they happen. This is an important first step to making sure that, down the road, this transportation project is completed," Clinton said.

Schumer and Clinton said that they will work to secure the bulk of federal funding for this $90 million project when Congress takes up the federal highway bill in 2003 - this legislation funds the bulk of federal transportation projects and is considered every six years. The $4 million earmark in this year's Transportation Appropriations bill now heads to the Senate for full consideration.

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