Wednesday, September 10, 2003 Contact: Sean Oblack (202) 225-4176 Schiff Helps Secure $3.25 Million For Alameda Corridor-East Project FY 04 House Transportation Appropriations Bill Includes Funding for ACE Project; Bill Passed Full House of Representatives WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Representative Adam Schiff announced tod that the House Transportation, Treasury and Independent Agencies Act for FY 04 - which passed the full House of Representatives late yesterday evening - includes $3.25 million for the on-going construction of the Alameda Corridor which encompasses a distance of 35 miles through the San Gabriel Valley between East Los Angeles and Pomona (generally paralleling the I-10 San Bernardino Freeway and SR-60 Freeway). "Working on the Alameda Corridor will improve safety at 42 rail crossings throughout the San Gabriel Valley, improve our air quality and improve trade efficiency between the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach," Rep. Schiff said today. The Alameda Corridor-East (ACE) Construction Authority will use this funding for the Alameda Corridor-East Gateway to America Trade Corridor Project- a project aiming to connect the Alameda Corridor and the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to the transcontinental rail network, creating a faster, more efficient method of distributing the expected $314 billion in annual trade. With the completion of the Alameda Corridor, train traffic through the San Gabriel Valley will increase by as much as 160 percent by the year 2020. The goal of the $910 million Alameda Corridor-East (ACE) Project is to mitigate the effects of increased traffic along a 35-mile freight rail corridor through the San Gabriel Valley from East Los Angeles to Pomona. The ACE Project includes transportation safety improvement projects at 42 grade crossings located throughout the San Gabriel Valley. The project is designed to: · Improve safety at 42 rail crossings in the San Gabriel Valley. · Stop 221 tons of air pollutants from being emitted annually in the worst air basin in the nation. · Reduce a projected 300% increase in auto/truck traffic delay at crossings resulting from up to 160% increase in rail traffic and 40% increase in vehicular traffic. · Connect the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to the transcontinental rail network creating a faster, more efficient method for distributing an estimated $314 billion worth of trade by the year 2020. · Maintain the economic vitality of the San Gabriel Valley by protecting 634,000 existing jobs and the 192,000 new jobs in the San Gabriel Valley projected by 2020. Rep. Schiff requested the funds as part of a joint-effort with Reps. David Dreier, Gary Miller, Grace Napolitano, Hilda Solis. Rep. Schiff represents California’s 29th Congressional District, including the communities of Alhambra, Altadena, Burbank, East Pasadena, East San Gabriel, Glendale, Monterey Park, Pasadena, San Gabriel, South Pasadena and Temple City.