Steve Shadley, Capital Public Radio
The new report by the State Legislative Analyst's Office says local governments aren't working fast enough to apply for billions in federal transporation funds before the March deadline.
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A new report says some communities in California are moving too slowly to secure federal stimulus dollars for transportation projects.
Capital Public Radio's Steve Shadley reports...
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The report was done by the State Legislative Analyst’s Office.
Researcher Jessica Digiambattista says Caltrans has moved quickly to apply for its share of the money.
But, she says local governments that are unfamiliar with the federal application process...are dragging their feet and could lose the funding...
Digiambattista: “We did follow up on the progress of using the funds and the local road agencies have been relatively slower to move through the steps of the federal process compared to Caltrans or the information we have on local transit operators...”
Digimbattista says local governments need to move fast...because to qualify for the funds...the projects must be “shovel ready.”
California could qualify for a total of nearly four-billion dollars for transportation projects in the stimulus package.
The deadline to apply is in March.
The LAO report recommends that state lawmakers hold hearings on the issue soon.