A $32.5 million state investment in 38 rail projects in 28 counties will upgrade and add capacity, stimulate local economies and provide as many as 2,500 jobs, Governor Edward G. Rendell announced recently at a York manufacturing and distribution facility.
“Transportation investment equals jobs,” Governor Rendell said. “The rail freight projects being funded across the state today will help companies create good-paying jobs and inject billions into local economies. These grants are excellent examples of how public-private partnerships can benefit businesses, workers and communities.”
Governor Rendell made the announcement at the Church & Dwight, Co. Davies Facility in York. The company received a $1.5 million reimbursement for a project that provided rail access to the facility, including grade crossing work, rail siding construction and spill containment basin construction. At full operation, the facility will employ approximately 300 Pennsylvanians in new, full-time positions. The improvements also will reduce truck shipments by 1,661 deliveries per year at this facility, reducing traffic congestion and pollution.
More than two-thirds of the funding, $23.9 million, will come from the 2010-11 Rail Capital Budget/Transportation Assistance Program funded through state capital bond dollars approved in the General Fund budget.
The remaining $8.6 million comes from the 2011-12 Rail Freight Assistance Program, which is provided through the state’s General Fund. Both grant programs, which are authorized by the General Assembly, are administered by PennDOT’s Bureau of Rail Freight.
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