GAO-02-1059R Highway Projects

United States General Accounting Office

Washington, DC 20548

September 23, 2002

The Honorable Harold Rogers

Chairman

The Honorable Martin Olav Sabo

Ranking Minority Member

Subcommittee on Transportation

 and Related Agencies

Committee on Appropriations

House of Representatives

Subject: Highway Projects: Extent of Projects with Unobligated Balances of Greater

Than 85 Percent as of August 16, 2002

Congress has provided funding for numerous highway demonstration projects in

legislation authorizing surface transportation programs as well as in annual

appropriations acts for the Department of Transportation (DOT). In some cases, the

projects are identified in the legislation itself. In others, they are identified in

committee reports accompanying the legislation. These projects are generally

designated for specific locations within states and for specific purposes, and the

funds made available for them generally remain available until expended. To identify

amounts that could be rescinded, you asked us to (1) identify highway demonstration

projects whose funding was approved prior to the Transportation Equity Act for the

21st Century (TEA-21) with obligations of less than 15 percent of their funding amount

and (2) determine whether there are plans to obligate most (more than 60 percent) of

the funds within the next 2 years and the amount of these balances. For projects

without plans to obligate most of the funds within the next 2 years, you also asked us

to provide the state’s or locality’s reason.

Results

As of August 16, 2002, there were 42 highway demonstration projects authorized prior

to TEA-21 with obligations of less than 15 percent of their total funding amount. For

9 of the 42 projects, there are no plans to obligate most (more than 60 percent) of the

approved funds by September 30, 2004. These 9 projects account for about $19.4

million in unobligated funds. Three of the projects have been completed or dropped

by the city or state. For the remaining 6 projects, state or local officials intend to

request federal legislation to revise the project description or make the funds

available for other projects. The enclosure lists the 42 projects and the total amount

of budget authority made available; the obligated and unobligated amounts for each

of the projects as of August 16, 2002; the statute(s), and where appropriate,

committee report(s) identifying the projects, beginning with the most recent; the
2 GAO-02-1059R Highway Projects

location and nature of the project; and where applicable, the reason given by the state

or locality for not obligating the funds by 2004. Our review captures information as

of August 16, 2002; however, the obligated and unobligated amounts for projects

could change.

Scope and Methodology

To identify pre-TEA-21 highway demonstration projects with obligations of less than

15 percent of the total funding amount, we requested that the Federal Highway

Administration (FHWA) analyze reports from DOT’s fiscal management information

system (FMIS). FHWA verified the information with state officials, obtained

information on whether a minimum of 60 percent of the total funding amount would

be obligated by September 30, 2004, and where applicable, the rationale for not

obligating the funds. We verified the statutory sources of the projects and their

descriptions by reviewing the statutes and associated reports. We relied on FMIS to

identify the amount of budget authority and the obligated and unobligated amounts

for each project and did not independently verify this information. We conducted our

review in July and August 2002 in accordance with generally accepted government

auditing standards.

Agency Comments

We provided DOT with a draft of this letter for review and comment. DOT agreed

with the information in the draft letter and provided technical comments, which we

incorporated as appropriate.

- - - - -

As agreed with your offices, unless you publicly announce its contents earlier, we

plan no further distribution of this report until 30 days after the date of this letter. At

that time, we will send copies of the report to the Secretary of Transportation, the

Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration and the Senate Committee on

Appropriations. The report will also be available on GAO’s Web site at

http://www.gao.gov.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact me or Susan Fleming at

(202) 512-2834. Other key contributors to this letter were Sharon Dyer and Stacey

Thompson.

Katherine Siggerud

Acting Director, Physical Infrastructure Issues

Enclosure
Enclosure

3 GAO-02-1059R Highway Projects

Summary of Pre-TEA 21 Demonstration Projects with Unobligated Balances as of August 16, 2002

State

Public law,

section, and

related report

Project

descriptiona

Budget

authority Obligations

Unobligated

balance and

percentage

obligatedb

At least 60

percent of

the funds

will be

obligated

by 9/30/04

Reason for not

obligating funds

California P.L. 103-331

(1994)

Surface

Transportation

Projects

House

Conference

Report 103-752

CA Highway 113

railroad grade

separation

$668,000.00 $0 $668,000.00

(0 percent)

No The local

government intends

to request federal

legislation to change

the project

description.

California P.L. 103-331

(1994)

Surface

Transportation

Projects

House

Conference

Report 103-752

CA Highway 138,

between

CA Highway 14 to

50th Street E.

1,000,000.00 0 1,000,000.00

(0 percent)

Yes

Texas P.L. 103-331

(1994)

Surface

Transportation

Projects

House

Conference

Report 103-752

El Paso: Extension

of Border Highway

5,000,000.00 0 5,000,000.00

(0 percent)

Yes

Texas P.L. 103-331

(1994)

Surface

Transportation

Projects

House

Conference

Report 103-752

Brownsville:

Improvements on 6th

and 7th Streets

500,000.00 0 500,000.00

(0 percent)

No State and local

governments intend

to request federal

legislation to make

these funds

available for another

project.

Texas P.L. 103-331

(1994)

Surface

Transportation

Projects

House

Conference

Report 103-752

Houston: NASA

Road 1

2,500,000.00 0 2,500,000.00

(0 percent)

Yes

West Virginia P.L. 103-331

(1994)

Surface

Transportation

Projects

House

Conference

Report 103-752

Fairmont: Riverside

Expressway

4,000,000.00 0 4,000,000.00

(0 percent)

Yes

West Virginia P.L. 103-331

(1994)

Surface

Transportation

Projects

House

Conference

Report 103-752

Mercer/McDowell

Counties: Route 52

5,000,000.00 345,600.00 4,654,400.00

(7 percent)

Yes
Enclosure

4 GAO-02-1059R Highway Projects

State

Public law,

section, and

related report

Project

descriptiona

Budget

authority Obligations

Unobligated

balance and

percentage

obligatedb

At least 60

percent of

the funds

will be

obligated

by 9/30/04

Reason for not

obligating funds

New York P.L. 102-388

(1992)

Highway

Projects

(Highway Trust

Fund)

House

Conference

Report 102-924

New York City:

Design

improvements on

Miller Highway

1,696,000.00 0 1,696,000.00

(0 percent)

Yes

Arizona P.L. 102-240

(1991)

§1104(b)(23)

P.L. 104-59

(1995) §331(3)

and P. L. 102-

240 (1991) §

1106(b)(74)

changed the

project

description.

Tucson: Oracle and

Orange Grove

Roads Interchange

improvements and

Veterans Memorial

Interchange/Palo

Verde Overpass

Bridge Replacement

3,804,171.00 307,326.42 3,496,844.58

(8 percent)

Yes

California P.L. 102-240

(1991)

§1108(b)(31)

P.L. 104-59

(1995) §336 (3)

changed the

project

description.

Los Angeles: For

access and

improvement

projects in the

vicinity of Los

Angeles

International Airport

8,730,085.00 480,000.00 8,250,085.00

(5 percent)

Yes

California P.L. 102-240

(1991)

§1107(b)(61)

P.L. 104-59

(1995) §335 (9)

changed the

project

description.

Victorville: Widen

and reconstruct

Mojave bridge to

CALTRANS height

standards

1,755,772.00 160,000.00 1,595,772.00

(9 percent)

Yes

California P.L. 102-240

(1991)

§1107(b)(87)

Santa Fe Springs:

Norwalk Boulevard

grade separation

4,584,515.00 0 4,584,515.00

(0 percent)

Yes

Florida P.L. 102-240

(1991)

§1106(a)(55)

Brevard County:

Design and

engineering

improvements for

State Road 3

between

State Road 520 and

State Road 528

156,069.00 19,095.00 136,974.00

(12 percent)

No Project is complete.

Georgia P.L. 102-240

(1991)

§1108(b)(48)

P.L. 105-277

(1998)

§101(g)(342)

changed the

project

description.

Augusta: Railroad

relocation

demonstration

project, overpass at

15th and Greene

Streets and related

improvements

5,755,028.00 0 5,755,028.00

(0 percent)

Yes
Enclosure

5 GAO-02-1059R Highway Projects

State

Public law,

section, and

related report

Project

descriptiona

Budget

authority Obligations

Unobligated

balance and

percentage

obligatedb

At least 60

percent of

the funds

will be

obligated

by 9/30/04

Reason for not

obligating funds

Hawaii P.L. 102-240

(1991)

§1107(b) (203)

Eligible projects

under federal-aid

highway program

5,852,571.00 0 5,852,571.00

(0 percent)

Yes

Louisiana P.L. 102-240

(1991)

§1106(a)(17)

Lake Charles:

construction of roads

and bridge to

provide access to

Rose Bluff Industrial

Area

3,999,257.00 55,299.20 3,943,957.80

(1 percent)

No Local entities intend

to request federal

legislation to make

these funds

available for another

project.

Louisiana P.L. 102-240

(1991)

§1106(a)(18)

Improvements and

extension of

Ambassador Caffery

Parkway

14,533,886.00 1,849,686.40 12,684,199.60

(13 percent)

Yes

Maryland P.L. 102-240

(1991)

§1107(b)(4)

Harford County:

Construction of

replacement bridge

at South Hampton

Road

975,429.00 0 975,429.00

(0 percent)

Yes

Michigan P.L. 102-240

(1991)

§1107(b)(55)

Flint: Design,

engineering and

construction of 1.02

miles of 5-lane

roadway

877,886.00 0 877,886.00

(0 percent)

Yes

Michigan P.L. 102-240

(1991)

§1108(b)(8)

Detroit: Relocate

Van Dyke Street and

construct a

depressed road

under Detroit City

Airport runway

4,194,343.00 616,000.00 3,578,343.00

(15 percent)

No The Detroit City

Airport has

abandoned its plan

to extend the

runway, eliminating

the need to relocate

the roadway.

Missouri P.L. 102-240

(1991)

§1104(b)(5)

St. Louis:

Relocation of

Lindbergh Boulevard

and I-70 at St. LouisLambert Airport

14,436,344.00 0 14,436,344.00

(0 percent)

Yes

New

Hampshire

P.L. 102-240

(1991)

§1104(b)(8)

Nashua:

Construction of

second bridge over

Nashua River

1,170,514.00 0 1,170,514.00

(0 percent)

Yes

New York P.L. 102-240

(1991)

§1104(b)(38)

P.L. 104-59

(1995) §331(4)

changed the

project

description.

Whitehall Street ferry

terminals

3,511,542.00 0 3,511,542.00

(0 percent)

Yes

Ohio P.L. 102-240

(1991)

§1107(b)(70)

Brook Park:

Aerospace

Technology Park

Access Road

13,851,086.00 0 13,851,086.00

(0 percent)

Yes

Ohio P.L. 102-240

(1991)

§1106(a)(87)

Norwalk: U.S. Route

250 bypass study

390,172.00 0 390,172.00

(0 percent)

No Local entities intend

to request federal

legislation to revise

the project

description and

make these funds

available for another

project.
Enclosure

6 GAO-02-1059R Highway Projects

State

Public law,

section, and

related report

Project

descriptiona

Budget

authority Obligations

Unobligated

balance and

percentage

obligatedb

At least 60

percent of

the funds

will be

obligated

by 9/30/04

Reason for not

obligating funds

Pennsylvania P.L.102-240

(1991)

§1107(b)(20)

P.L. 104-59

(1995) §335 (3)

and

P.L. 104-205

(1996) §410

changed the

project

description.

Relocation of U.S.

22 around the

borough of

Hollidaysburg, PA,

and surrounding

counties

50,722,287.00 6,202,000.00 44,520,287.00

(12 percent)

Yes

Pennsylvania P.L. 102-240

(1991)

§1106(a)(83)

Blairsville: Laurel

Valley Expressway

4,877,143.00 644,000.00 4,233,143.00

(13 percent)

Yes

Pennsylvania P.L. 102-240

(1991)

§1103(b)(3)

Beaver County:

Construction of

Aliquippa Ambridge

Bridge

24,385,715.00 1,288,000.00 23,097,715.00

(5 percent)

Yes

Tennessee P.L. 102-240

(1991)

§1104(b)(17)

P.L. 102-388

(1992) §378

changed the

project

description.

Murfreesboro: Study

and construct a

bicycle system

390,172.00 36,000.00 354,172.00

(9 percent)

Yes

Washington,

D.C.

P.L. 102-240

(1991)

§1106(b)(10)

Construction of

missing segments of

Eastern and

Southern Avenues

6,632,914.00 208,000.00 6,424,914.00

(3 percent)

Yes

Washington,

D.C.

P.L. 102-240

(1991)

§1106(b)(70)

Design and

construction of noise

barriers along

Southeast/

Southwest and

Anacostia Freeways

4,584,515.00 425,680.00 4,158,835.00

(9 percent)

Yes

New Jersey P.L. 102-143

(1991)

Highway

Demonstration

Projects

House

Conference

Report

102-243

Routes 70/38 Circle

Elimination

6,000,000.00 0 6,000,000.00

(0 percent)

No The project has

been dropped by the

state DOT. c

New York P.L. 102-143

(1991)

Highway

Demonstration

Projects

House

Conference

Report 102-243

Manhattan: Miller

Highway from 59th to

72nd Street

2,800,000.00 0 2,800,000.00

(0 percent)

Uncertain These funds will be

required to complete

the design phase.

However, the

percentage that will

be obligated by

9/30/04 cannot be

determined now.

Pennsylvania P.L. 102-143

(1991)

Highway

Demonstration

Projects

House

Conference

Report 102-243

Ligonier:

Pennsylvania State

Route 711 Bypass

900,000.00 0 900,000.00

(0 percent)

Yes
Enclosure

7 GAO-02-1059R Highway Projects

State

Public law,

section, and

related report

Project

descriptiona

Budget

authority Obligations

Unobligated

balance and

percentage

obligatedb

At least 60

percent of

the funds

will be

obligated

by 9/30/04

Reason for not

obligating funds

Georgia P.L. 101-516

(1990)

Highway

Demonstration

Projects

House

Conference

Report 101-892

P.L. 105-277

(1998)

§101(g)(342)

changed the

project

description.

Augusta: Olive

Road crossing and

related

improvements

1,675,000.00 0 1,675,000.00

(0 percent)

Yes

Louisiana P.L. 100-17

(1987)

§149(a)(87)

and (b)(87)

West Calcasieu

Parish: Access road

parallel to I-10 at

Sulphur to access

Louisiana Highways

108 and 3077

2,623,910.00 0 2,623,910.00

(0 percent)

No Local entities intend

to request federal

legislation to make

these funds

available for another

project.

Louisiana P.L. 100-17

(1987)

§149 (a)(87)

and (d)

West Calcasieu

Parish: Access road

parallel to I-10 at

Sulphur to access

Louisiana Highways

108 and 3077

1,574,345.00 0 1,574,345.00

(0 percent)

No Local entities intend

to request federal

legislation to make

these funds

available for another

project.

New Jersey P.L. 100-17

(1987)

§149(a)(37),

(b)(37) and (d)

Dover Township:

Construct Toms

River bridge project

598,350.00 0 598,350.00

(0 percent)

Yes

Rhode Island P.L. 100-17

(1987)

§149(d)

Eligible projects

under federal-aid

highway program

133,876.00 0 133,876.00

(0 percent)

Yes

Washington,

D.C.

P.L. 100-17

(1987)

§149(c)

Eligible projects

under federal-aid

highway program

132,167.00 0 132,167.00

(0 percent)

Yes

Washington,

D.C.

P.L. 100-17

(1987)

§149(d)

Eligible projects

under federal-aid

highway program

64,753.00 0 64,753.00

(0 percent)

Yes

West Virginia P.L. 100-17

(1987)

§149 (a)(62)

and (b)(62)

New River:

Construct a parkway

8,559,573.00 1,226,665.30 7,332,907.70

(14 percent)

Yes

Total $225,597,390.00 $13,863,352.32 $211,734,037.68

a

The project description reflects any statutory changes made to the original description.

b The unobligated balance is the difference between the allocations and obligations recorded in the Federal Highway Administration’s

Financial Management Information System.

c The state intends to request federal legislation to make these funds available for another project.

Source: GAO’s adaptation of information provided by the Federal Highway Administration.

 

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