REMARKS FOR
THE HONORABLE MARY PETERS
SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION

TRANSIT AID ANNOUNCEMENT
MINNEAPOLIS, MN

AUGUST 10, 2007
1:15 PM (CDT)

Good afternoon, and thank you for joining us. I want to begin by saying how impressed I have been with a very professional and dedicated team here locally who have been working tirelessly since the bridge collapsed.

I understand there are 700 Sheriff’s Office deputies who have not had a day of rest since last Wednesday and countless MnDOT employees who are working round the clock to find answers, clear roads, and reroute traffic. Let me offer a heartfelt thank you.

One of the challenges here in Minneapolis is making sure the thousands of commuters who used the I-35 West bridge to cross the Mississippi every day still have the mobility they need to live as normal a life as possible.

I clearly understand transit plays a vital role in this community. After my visit with the President on Saturday, I asked Deputy Administrator of the Federal Transit Administration, Sherry Little, to be on site here in Minneapolis. She is a critical part of the team working directly with local, state and other federal agencies on the recovery effort.

In the wake of this tragedy, Minneapolis needs to be able to use every resource possible to get people to and from downtown. Today, I am pleased to announce that we are making $5 million available to operate the public transportation system. These funds are part of the emergency relief legislation the President signed this past Monday.

Minneapolis will be able to use these funds to help pay for ramped up services, such as the scores of extra buses the city has put on the ground and the free express bus service from Park and Ride lots to downtown. Last week, more than 800 new commuters parked in these lots and rode the bus to work.

We are providing maximum flexibility to ensure the city can use these funds where they are most needed to provide relief for commuters. For example, we are waiving the usual requirement for a local match for these funds. In addition, we are allowing Minneapolis to use capital assistance for operating expenses.

We want to encourage transit options, and the good news is Minneapolis already has well-developed plans for commuter-rail into the city. Several weeks prior to the bridge collapse, I was in Minneapolis with Gov. Pawlenty to look at the Northstar rail project.

I know that this community is anxiously awaiting the federal Department of Transportation’s final approval. We are working with MnDOT to get one final piece of critical financial information. Once we have that information, we will move on to complete our review on an expedited basis, given what happened with I-35W.

Our on-going commitment here in Minneapolis is to do everything we can to minimize disruptions while we work to restore traffic along this major commuting and commercial corridor.