March 13, 2007: Congressional Record publishes “ROAD CONSTRUCTION, OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE IN ST. LOUIS COUNTY, MO”

March 13, 2007: Congressional Record publishes “ROAD CONSTRUCTION, OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE IN ST. LOUIS COUNTY, MO”

Volume 153, No. 43 covering the 1st Session of the 110th Congress (2007 - 2008) was published by the Congressional Record.

The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.

“ROAD CONSTRUCTION, OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE IN ST. LOUIS COUNTY, MO” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Transportation was published in the Senate section on pages S3076 on March 13, 2007.

The publication is reproduced in full below:

ROAD CONSTRUCTION, OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE IN ST. LOUIS COUNTY, MO

Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to H.R. 1129, just received from the House and at the desk.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.

The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

A bill (H.R. 1129) to provide for the construction, operation, and maintenance of an arterial road in St. Louis County, Missouri.

There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.

Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I rise in support of H.R. 1129. This important legislation is necessary to provide for the construction, operation, and maintenance of an arterial road in the Lemay area of St. Louis County, MO. This road, the Lemay connector road, is the lynchpin of the long-term recovery of that community and will open several abandoned industrial sites to new industrial, commercial and retail development and create thousands of new much-needed jobs. The road was identified as the highest priority for redeveloping the area in a federally-funded study conducted by the Missouri Department of Transportation.

Mrs. McCASKILL. Mr. President, I join my colleague, the senior Senator from Missouri, in supporting this much-needed legislation. Not only will the road revive the economy of the communities around Lemay, it will also support the restoration of brownfields sites, improve public safety, create new parks and riding trails, and provide other recreational opportunities. With all of these benefits, it is not surprising then that the bill has broad bipartisan support from every relevant State and local elected official and also here in the Congress. It has also been endorsed by the Missouri Department of Transportation, the local school district--Hancock Place School District and the local fire and police departments.

Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I vividly recall the devastation that was caused by the the flooding in 1993 and one of the areas that was hardest hit was the community of Lemay. In response to that tragedy, Congress enacted an emergency supplemental appropriations bill. As a new member of that committee, I worked to appropriate supplemental funds for HUD's community development grants to compensate homeowners for losses and to clear the area. Property acquired with the funds, however, was required to be maintained for uses consistent with open space, recreation or wetlands management. This was a one-time requirement, and no other property acquired using CDBG funds before or since the 1994 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act has carried similar deed restrictions. Furthermore, I want to assure my colleagues that we are not establishing any precedent by adopting this legislation in part because of the unique situation in which properties became deed restricted and also because exceptions have been made to allow for roads and public works development on deed restricted lands.

Mrs. McCASKILL. I also want to assure my colleages that no Federal funds will be used to construct or maintain the Lemay connector road. Neither St. Louis County nor the State of Missouri is seeking or will seek Federal assistance to build, maintain, or operate the road. In fact, the County has sent several letters to FEMA that it will not seek Federal funding for the road. Under terms reached by the St. Louis County and Missouri DOT, private developers will bear 100 percent of the cost of construction of the road, and the road will be maintained by St. Louis County as part of its standard maintenance program,

Mr. BOND. Mr. President, my colleague from Missouri is correct that no Federal funds will be used for either construction or maintenance of this road. Furthermore, this road will become a county road and it will not be part of the Federal-aid system. Under current law, which this bill does not amend, the Lemay connector road is not an eligible use of Federal funding.

Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read a third time, passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and any statements relating thereto be printed in the Record.

The bill (H.R. 1129) was ordered to be read a third time, was read the third time and passed.

____________________

SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 153, No. 43

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