State allocates upgrade funds to LTD, airport.Byline: Diane Dietz The Register-Guard The Eugene Airport Eugene Airport (IATA: EUG, ICAO: KEUG), also known as Mahlon Sweet Field, is a public airport located 7 miles (11 km) northwest of Eugene, in Lane County, Oregon. and the Lane Transit District A transit district or transit authority is a special-purpose district organized as either a corporation chartered by statute, or a government agency, created for the purpose of providing public transportation within a specific region. got a visit last week from their favorite person in state government. He's Marty Andersen - local program coordinator for the state Department of Transportation - and to city and county officials he's as good as Santa Claus Santa Claus: see Nicholas, Saint. Santa Claus jolly, gift-giving figure who visits children on Christmas Eve. [Christian Tradition: NCE, 1937] See : Christmas Santa Claus . "They always like to see me coming, because there's money somewhere," Andersen said in an interview last week. "Yeah, I'm quite popular." Last week, Andersen was passing out $5.4 million for the Lane Transit District and $4.1 million for the Eugene Airport. The money is part of $100 million in lottery bond Lottery Bond A bond issued in the U.S. and U.K. with a rate of return dependent upon a lottery style payout. Notes: The lottery payout structure involves a method of random draws. proceeds authorized by the Legislature for "improvements on the entire transportation system," Andersen said. This "ConnectOregon" money is dedicated to nonroad modes of transportation, such as marine, rail, transit and aviation. Besides the local bus and airport, 21 other governments across the state also got some dough. LTD's $5.4 million will apply to the $38 million planned Pioneer Parkway EmX line, which is slated for completion in early 2010. It's earmarked for the route's 13 bus stops, including a station at Gateway Mall. Getting the state money especially helps the project because it means the agency can get ahold of federal money that requires a local match. "It's a real critical piece of the puzzle for us," LTD LTD 1 Laron-type dwarfism 2 Leukotriene D 3 Long-term depression, see there 4. Long-term disability spokesman Andy Vobora said. The Eugene Airport's $4.1 million will cover the lion's share of a $5.5 million upgrade of the terminal's cargo loading area. It includes expanding the tarmac so aircraft have more room to maneuver when bellying up to take on cargo. Next up, ODOT ODOT Oregon Department of Transportation ODOT Ohio Department Of Transportation ODOT Oklahoma Department of Transportation will allocate more of the ConnectOregon money, this time to some private companies. The money will pay for renovations to a barge terminal in Portland Harbor, a rail yard in Roseburg and several other rail projects across the state, Andersen said. "Half went to different short line railroads, so they can haul more freight, go faster," he said. None, however, went to Union Pacific to upgrade the lines that Amtrak Amtrak, the National Railroad Passenger Corp., authorized to operate virtually all intercity passenger railroad routes in the United States. Amtrak was created by Congress in 1970 in response to more than two decades of continuous operating deficits by privately run trains also run on, he said. |
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