Major Transportation Bill Includes $480,000 for Throop, Old Forge and Moosic
Total for Lackawanna County is $10.3 Million

Wilkes-Barre, Pa. - Congressman Paul E. Kanjorski (PA-11) today announced that the Transportation Bill recently passed by Congress includes $480,000 for the communities of Throop, Old Forge and Moosic. Each community will receive $160,000. The Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (TEA-LU) included a total of $10.3 million for Lackawanna County.

"I am pleased to have secured money for these three communities in the long-awaited transportation bill. It is increasingly difficult for smaller boroughs to find the money to improve their infrastructure. This federal funding will provide a tremendous economic boost for the region," Congressman Kanjorski said. "I also want to remind elected officials and administrators that communities not awarded under this allocation will be considered as future funding opportunities become available."

Communities were awarded funding based on requests from elected officials and Congressman Kanjorski's assessment of those needs.

Listed below are other projects in Lackawanna County:

• $3 million for transportation projects in the City of Scranton.  Congressman Kanjorski secured $2 million for improvements to streets in the downtown, included the 500 block of Lackawanna Avenue.  The Senate added $1 million for the proposed Scranton intermodal center. 
• $320,000 for Dunmore Borough for paving projects and traffic light improvements in the borough's most dangerous intersections.

The Senate portion of the bill included several important projects strongly supported by Congressman Kanjorski, such as:

• $2 million to widen Interstate 81 from four to six lanes in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton corridor.
• $4.5 million to support the construction of an access road to the Valley View Business Park in Lackawanna County.  

Congressman Kanjorski strongly supported a provision in the bill inserted by the Senate to authorize $120 million for the passenger rail project connecting Scranton to metropolitan New York City. The project, estimated to cost $350 million, is still subject to Federal Transit Administration (FTA) review and the awarding of the construction dollars is contingent upon FTA's endorsement of the project.  Nevertheless, the authorization language is a key prerequisite to the restoration of passenger rail service in Northeastern Pennsylvania and signals the strength of the congressional interest in this project.  In addition, the bill also includes language written by Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen (NJ-11) that would make the Lackawanna Cutoff passenger rail project a major transportation priority in New Jersey.

On July 29, both the House and Senate passed the $286.5 billion transportation bill by overwhelming margins. The legislation will set federal transportation policy for the next several years and directs the Transportation Department to provide funding for important projects throughout the country. Congressman Kanjorski strongly supported the bill, which passed the House by a vote of 408 to 8.  The Senate passed the bill later in the day by a vote of 94 to 6. 

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