Click to view this email in a browser http://hosted.verticalresponse.com/310797/3199e6d724/29/46bc1d9446/ Portland lands $75M for streetcar loop April 30, 2009 PORTLAND, OR. After years of lobbying the Federal Transit Administration by a team of local transit advocates… After years of tenacious advocacy from our federal congressional delegation (I want to give a special ‘shout out’ to Earl Blumenauer and Peter DeFazio)… …we won approval today for not just the 3.35-mile eastside streetcar extension, but with this funding we start a new streetcar industry here in the Portland region with an order for 16 streetcars to be built at United Streetcar. …and, the creation of an estimated 1,290 mostly family-wage jobs over the next two years. This all happened today with the announcement from U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood of his intent to grant $75 million to the eastside streetcar project. The Loop Project is a 3.35-mile extension of the Portland Streetcar system currently operating on the west side running from Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital and Medical Center in Northwest Portland through downtown and Portland State University to South Waterfront serving OHSU’s Center for Health and Healing, the Portland Aerial Tram and the new development built or planned in the district. The Portland Streetcar Loop Project will extend service to the eastside of Portland connecting to the Lloyd District, the Central Eastside and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. This has been such a slog because even though Congressman Blumenauer sponsored the federal legislation to fund streetcar projects, the Bush administration threw obstacles in our way at almost every turn. Senators Wyden and Merkley worked with Representatives DeFazio, Blumenauer, Wu and Schrader to urge the administration to fund the Portland Streetcar Loop. And Metro and Trimet used their clout with the Federal Transit Administration to advance the project. It is also important to note that Senator Merkley, then Speaker of the Oregon Legislature, and Representative Schrader, as Oregon Senator and Co-Chair of Ways and Means, helped lead the charge to secure $20 million in state lottery bonds to purchase Portland Streetcar Loop vehicles. These state actions helped propel the project forward early on. Portland has seen unparalleled private investment of 3.5 billion within 3 blocks of the present streetcar line, this translates into $30 million per year in additional revenues for the city. ______________________________________________________________________ If you no longer wish to receive these emails, please reply to this message with "Unsubscribe" in the subject line or simply click on the following link: http://cts.vresp.com/u?3199e6d724/46bc1d9446/ ______________________________________________________________________ This message was sent by Office of Mayor Sam Adams using VerticalResponse Office of Mayor Sam Adams City of Portland 1221 SW Fourth Ave Room 340 Portland, Oregon 97204 www.mayorsamadams.com Read the VerticalResponse marketing policy: http://www.verticalresponse.com/content/pm_policy.html