Sodrel earmarks bus money

Congressman Mike Sodrel, R-9th District, earmarked $750,000 for new Bloomington Transit buses and $500,000 for a Monroe County road construction project as part of the House Transportation Appropriations Bill last week.\nIf passed by the Senate and President Bush, the money would pay for four new, 35-foot, low-floor buses to replace buses made in 1989 and 1990 that are still running in Bloomington Transit's fleet, said Lew May, BT general manager. May said he hopes the bill will pass and the money will be available by the end of the year at the latest.\n"(The buses) are definitely in need of replacement, and the federal earmark will help us do that," May said. "We're very appreciative of Congressman Sodrel's support for this project as well as for public transportation in Bloomington."\nBefore this latest earmark, Sodrel had secured $5.89 million for Bloomington's public transportation system since last August, according to a press release.\nThe $500,000 for road construction will go towards widening a three-mile stretch of road from S.R. 37 to Sare Road, which is part of a larger, three-phase Monroe County project to create a multi-lane road connecting S.R. 45 and S.R. 446.\n"Traffic congestion in Monroe County is a concern we all share," Sodrel said in the release. "I'm going to continue to support projects that upgrade local roads because infrastructure is vital to the economic health and traffic safety of any community"