Deadline disparity stimulates state, local agency to flip funds - bizjournals:

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Any money that is not obligatedx istheoretically lost, althougyh most projects thus far have been chosen with carefuo consideration to meet the strict timetables. Texas is slatex to receive $2.25 billion for federal highwa y projects. Of that, $150 million is coming to the Houstojn area viathe Houston-Galvestojn Area Council, or H-GAC, the federally mandated metropolitajn planning organization responsible for Harris and seven surrounding counties. Decisions on how to spend that monegy will be made on alocal level, and the obligation deadlind is slightly more relaxed — 100 percen must be obligated by March 5, 2010.
An additionalk $285 million is coming to the Houston area for mobility The designation of that money was made on a state level by the Texas Transportationh Commission and is subject to more rigid A total of 50 percent must be obligatexd after 120days — by June 30 — and the rest afted another 120 days. The intersection of Beltway 8and U.S. Highway 59. • A stretcyh of Interstate 10. • A section of Loop 610. • The infamous Section E of theGrandr Parkway. David Rogers, senior transportation planner at says the Texas Department of Transportatiob has more than met June 30 deadlines by obligating 60 percentg ofthe funds.
Rogers was brought on boarc in early May to help an agenct accustomed to much longer lead timea arrange its stimulus ducks in a row and assist the state infollowinf suit. The state, for example, is obliged to H-GAC for some trickyy obligating on the Interstate10 project, which involves replacintg 30-year-old pavement and improving ramps between U.S. 59 and Interstates 45. The project is slated to cost $27 million, with $16 milliomn coming from local-level funding. facing a March 2010 deadline, helped out the Texasd Departmentof Transportation, facing a shorter by flipping the $16 million “over to the state side,” accordinh to Pat Waskowiak, a progranm manager for H-GAC.
Regardless of how and where everything so far has been Waskowiaksays it’s not an issue. “Ww have so many projects on the contingencylist that’s what we’re calling it — that therew are way more projects than what we have dollarsd for,” she says. The real proble could be that a more vitalprojecr isn’t getting stimulus funds because it’s too big for the fundes to be obligated in time. “Wed may end up with projects that get us towardx the financial goal of using the but they may not havebeen anyone’s top says Waskowiak.
The stimulus bill is very explici t in keeping funds destined for transportatio infrastructure tofederal projects, meaning some local highwayd that could use some work U.S. Highway 290 comes to mind — out in the Despite the letters “U” and “S” beforse its official name, 290 has not yet completesd its federalstatus process, according to Waskowiak.