(rshsdepot) Elizabethtown, PA

["Bernie Wagenblast" <brwagenblast_@_comcast.net>]

From a news release from Pennsylvania DOT.

Bernie Wagenblast

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

PENNDOT SECRETARY ANNOUNCES $9 MILLION IN STIMULUS FUNDS FOR ELIZABETHTOWN
STATION

3/3/2009-

ELIZABETHTOWN - More than $9.3 million in stimulus funds from the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act will help Elizabethtown Borough refurbish and
improve customer amenities in a 97-year-old Amtrak station serving more
than 80,000 passengers, PennDOT Secretary Allen D. Biehler, P.E., announced
today.

"The Elizabethtown Amtrak station project illustrates that stimulus funds
address different transportation modes and help meet a growing demand for
transit options in the region," Biehler said during an event at the
station.

"Beyond creating jobs for construction people, this rehabilitation will
mean an improved station to meet the growing travel needs of this area."

The stimulus investment builds on a $145 million joint effort with Amtrak
and the Federal Transit Administration, which was completed under Governor
Edward G. Rendell's leadership in 2006. With the track and signal
improvements, the Keystone Corridor line offers 90-minute express service
between Harrisburg,Lancaster and Philadelphia and connects to New York City.

Ridership at the station increased 93 percent from the 2003-04 fiscal year
to the 2007-08 fiscal year, from 43,637 passengers to 84,329 passengers.
Following the 2006 improvements, corridor ridership increased from 891,764
in the 2005-06 fiscal year to 1,127,518 in 2007-08.

Across PennDOT's District 8, which covers eight counties, stimulus money
will underwrite 22 projects totaling more than $113 million. Other PennDOT
investments in the district include more than $311 million on road and
bridge projects. Part of the $311 million investment continues Governor
Rendell's Rebuild Pennsylvania initiative, approved in the state's 2008-09
budget, to have work started this fiscal year on 411 structurally deficient
bridges across the state. To date, contracts have been awarded for 273 of
these bridges.

"Under the Rebuild Pennsylvania initiative, we already have opened bids for
57 bridges valuing roughly $90.8 million here in District 8," Biehler said.
"Transportation work continually stimulates the economy, and Governor
Rendell's early commitment to rebuilding Pennsylvania is now serving as a
valuable complement to the work we'll pursue with federal stimulus funding."

Overall, Pennsylvania will receive more than $16 billion in stimulus money,
including just over $1 billion for roads and bridges. In addition to the
funds advancing bridge and road repairs, the commonwealth anticipates
receiving $346.7 million for transit investments.

PennDOT is tracking the progress and benefits of stimulus funded projects
On the Governor's Web site, www.recovery.pa.gov. Nationally recognized
standards estimate that each $1 billion in transportation investment
translates into approximately 30,000 jobs; both direct construction jobs and
work tied to manufacturing and other services generated by the project.

Also announced today was the March 26 letting of the first stimulus project
in District 8, the rehabilitation of the Route 324 bridge over Pequea Creek
in Lancaster County. The apparent low bidder for the project is J.D. Eckman,
Inc.of Atglen, Chester County, with a bid of nearly $1.5 million. The
project will involve major rehabilitation of the structurally deficient
bridge, including replacement of the bridge's superstructure.

=================================
The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org
To Unsubscribe: http://lists.railfan.net/rshsdepot-photo/unsub.html

------------------------------