The Surface Transportation Authorization of 2009 provides for the funding of federal transportation projects across the nation.  Most of the funds are allocated through block-grants for state transportation improvement plans.  In addition, the act sets funds aside for high priority projects within individual congressional districts.  These projects are competitively bid and vetted through the normal appropriations process.  Each Member of Congress is responsible for nominating district projects within this appropriation.
 In evaluating projects submitted to this office, I employ the following criteria:

1. The project must be part of the Federal Interstate, U.S. Highway or Federal Highway Programs.  Federal highways serve the entire nation – local streets, roads and buses serve local communities.  Federal funds should be used for federal projects – local projects should be funded from local revenues.
2. The project must have a useful lifespan of at least 30 years.  The federal government is running on borrowed money, and wherever possible its spending should be limited to projects that will serve our children when they are still paying off the debt.
3. The project must be nominated by a locally elected governing body as its top priority.
4. The project must provide the highest return for the lowest cost of those submitted.
Using these criteria, I have nominated the following projects to be included in the Surface Transportation Authorization of 2009:

Western Placerville Interchanges Project
Cost: $5,000,000
This project is the first phase of a broader, long-term project that will decrease traffic congestion, facilitate economic development, and provide capacity for future increases in traffic.  The first phase of the project is an integral component of the broader project and will effectively accommodate near-term traffic congestion and safety issues by: adding a westbound onramp from Ray Lawyer Drive to US-50, adding auxiliary lanes to Forni Road/Placerville Drive, and making improvements to the existing Forni Road/Placerville Drive westbound off-ramp.
This project has been endorsed as a top priority by the El Dorado County Transportation Commission, the El Dorado County Transit Authority, the City of Placerville, and the 50 Corridor Transportation Management Association. The project is located on the National Highway System.

Lincoln Bypass
Cost: $4,000,000
This project – phase 2A of the Lincoln Bypass – would widen State Highway 65 from two to four lanes from Nelson Lane to Wise Road.  This project is critical to mitigating traffic congestion, increasing travel safety, promoting traffic efficiency, and improving access to jobs.  When it is completed, the Lincoln Bypass project will eliminate thousands of vehicle hours and thousands of person-hours of delay.  This project will also have significant regional benefits for the flow of interregional commercial transport.  The project has been endorsed as a top priority by the Placer County Transportation Planning Agency. The project is located on the National Highway System.

Dorsey Drive Interchange Project
Cost: $22,500,000
This project will include on- and off-ramps on SR 49/20 connecting to the Dorsey Drive overpass in Grass Valley. The interchange will provide direct freeway access to the Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital – a significant regional benefit – allowing for an estimated average reduction of two to five critical minutes of ambulance transport time.  The project will also relieve current high levels of traffic congestion, provide capacity for future increases in traffic, and open up the area to significant economic growth.  This project is endorsed as a top priority by the County of Nevada Board of Supervisors, and is located on the National Highway System.

Interstate 80 Eureka Road Exchange
Cost: $2,500,000
This project would widen an existing bridge on Eureka Road over Miners Ravine in order to add one westbound lane to Eureka Road leading up to the freeway onramp.  This would allow full utilization of the Interstate 80 on-ramp, which has two lanes but is currently underutilized because of restricted traffic flow on Eureka Road.

Improvements to the Eureka Road interchange will produce a number of benefits including: reduced travel time and traffic congestion in both the City of Roseville and on Interstate 80; improved safety due to reduced congestion and reduced exhaust emissions as fewer vehicles are gridlocked and idling.  This will have a significant local, regional, and national impact as local congestion is alleviated and interstate commerce moves more freely.  This project is endorsed as a top priority by the City of Roseville and the Placer County Board of Supervisors. This project is part of the National Highway System and the Interstate System.