Federal Funds Help Reduce Congestion with I-238 Widening
(Castro Valley, CA) - Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) was on hand today for the groundbreaking on a project to widen I-238 between I-880 and I-580, which was made possible in part by funds secured by Lee in the federal transportation bill last year.
“This project is an example of the fruit of our efforts to bring in federal funds for transportation projects that are critical to the East Bay and provide a vital economic stimulus for our community,” said Lee. “This funding is part of the effort to strengthen infrastructure, reduce pollution, protect the environment and foster opportunity by creating jobs.”
I-238 is the designated truck corridor from eastern Alameda County to the central valley and the rest of the state, and improvements along this corridor will facilitate the movement of container traffic through the Port of Oakland. Lee secured $800,000 in federal funds for the widening project.
Through Congresswoman Lee’s work, California’s Ninth U.S. Congressional District will receive more than $13 million in earmarked funding for transportation projects designed to strengthen public transportation, expand recreational opportunities, improve public safety, and reduce traffic as part of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) bill passed by Congress in July, 2005. The bill set national transportation priorities and was the first comprehensive transportation bill to pass Congress since 1998. It included a total of $286 billion in total funding of which California stands to gain approximately $3.5 billion a year for the next six years.
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