WASHINGTON –Congressman Dale E. Kildee (D-MI) announced today that Bay City and Tuscola County would receive a total of $2,640,000 in federal funding under H.R. 3, the Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (TEA-LU).  Kildee’s funding requests were included in the House-Senate TEA-LU Conference Report, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives today.  The bill is expected to pass the Senate tonight and be sent to the President for his signature.

“I am delighted that I was able to secure funding for three separate Tuscola County projects and $2.16 million for the North Henry St. project in Bay City,” said Kildee. “All of these projects will help improve the quality of our local roads, increase economic productivity and expedite the commute for area residents.”

Under TEA-LU, Bay County will receive a total of $2.16 million in federal funding to reconstruct and improve North Henry Street from Vermont Avenue to Wilder Road. 

Tuscola County will receive $480,000 to finance three road projects designed to increase access to rural areas and improve traffic safety.  The Village of Millington will receive $395,200 to replace Cain Road Bridge and to upgrade the rest of Cain Road from Industrial Drive to Millington Road.  The Village of Cass City will receive $20,800 to construct an access road to help develop a 65-acre municipal tract of industrial land.  Lastly, the Village of Caro will receive $64,000 to construct a bike and pedestrian trail in Chippewa Landing River Park. 

The highway bill is the latest reauthorization of the six-year federal highway and transit bill, which provides billions of dollars in federal funding for our nation’s highways and transit systems.  The last bill, known as TEA-21, expired in 2003 and negotiators spent two years covering two separate sessions of Congress to agree to a new bill.   The conference negotiations resulted in cuts of all House member projects as had previously been approved in March when the House passed its version of TEA-LU. 

Funding for reauthorization is provided by the revenue currently available in the Highway Trust Fund.  TEA-LU will provide jobs, help alleviate congestion, increase traffic safety, and improve the quality and accessibility of our nation’s highways.

In addition to this new authorization, other highway funds will be appropriated annually through the congressional appropriations process.