BY KEITH BENMAN, Times of Northwest Indiana
kbenman@nwitimes.com
EAST CHICAGO | A plan to extend the South Shore Line is just one of 120 commuter rail projects across the nation competing for federal funds, a federal transportation official told RDA members Tuesday.
The Federal Aviation Administration hands out $525 million in discretionary funds for airport improvement projects yearly, but there are 3,300 airports in the Unites States that compete for those funds, a top Federal Aviation Administration official said.
Local lakefront projects need about $32.9 million to get off the ground, with tens of millions more dollars needed for projects such as relocating East Chicago's water filtration plant, according to a tally from U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Ind.
Members of the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority listened solemnly Tuesday as top federal officials apprised them of how federal funding works in a five-hour learning session at East Chicago City Hall.
"We want to make sure none of this money gets away from us," RDA chairman John Clark said.
Top regional officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Transit Administration, Federal Aviation Administration and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers all gave presentations.
Two consistent themes came through: Local money is needed to secure federal funds, and competition for those federal funds is fierce.
Local project leaders are lining up to seek RDA funds as at least part of their required local match for federal funds. Local matches needed generally range from 5 percent to 40 percent of project costs.
Nationally, there are $34 billion of commuter rail projects in the pipeline, said Rhonda Reed, regional director of planning and program development for the Federal Transit Administration.
Projects like the South Shore extension to Lowell and Valparaiso can take six to 12 years to develop, Reed said. It has been estimated it would cost around $350 million to build the extensions, known as the West Lake Corridor.
"So we are in the pre-pipeline for those funds?" asked Purdue Calumet Chancellor and RDA member Howard Cohen.
"We are at the bottom of that pyramid," said Visclosky.
The congressman told the 55 people in the council chambers that the region was at its most critical juncture in 100 years.
"While the steel industry is profitable today, we should use the stable platform it provides to rebuild our economy anew," Visclosky said to open the meeting.
Federal officials emphasized their agencies have turned a leaf from the past and seek to work closely with local communities to implement home-grown plans.
"It used to be the Army Corps of Engineers' way or the highway," said Col. Gary Johnson, a corps commander who made his presentation dressed in fatigues. "Well, we've disassociated from that."
The Corps has numerous programs that can do everything from help fund and build breakwaters to cleaning up debris in rivers. It can even help fund recreation projects out of ecological restoration funds.
Some projects such as the South Shore extension already have secured federal funds to kickstart their plans. A West Lake Extension study will in part be paid for with $1.5 million in federal funds.
A study of Lake and Porter county bus services by the Regional Bus Authority will be funded with $500,000 in FTA funds.
The Gary airport landed the biggest windfall of all three weeks ago when it secured an FAA letter of intent for $57.8 million in federal funds over 10 years.
"We need to proceed with a sense of urgency and act concurrently, not consecutively on these projects," Visclosky said.