US representatives secure millions for community projects

Speier also noted she was able to obtain $54.4 million for San Francisco Bay restoration efforts, more than double the previous annual amount, which builds on her recently enacted provision to establish a permanent San Francisco Bay program at the Environmental Protection Agency.

“Whether it’s wildfire mitigation and management, library restoration, environmental and historic preservation, health care and early childhood development, public transportation improvements, or critical infrastructure updates, each of the community projects included in this year’s funding package are vital to ensuring our communities continue to grow and thrive. Government must serve the people first — these projects ensure that will be done,” Speier said in a press release. “As my time in Congress comes to an end, I’m proud that so many local initiatives — including crucial work to restore our iconic and beautiful San Francisco Bay — will now have the federal support and resources they need and deserve after years of underfunding.”

Eshoo also expressed her pride in securing the funding for San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties. 

The projects will provide more affordable housing, fix roads, build Caltrain crossings, and improve our schools,” Eshoo said in a press release. 

The projects are: $494,300 for the cities of Belmont and San Bruno Wildfire Prevention Project; $750,000 for the city of Burlingame Town Square Project; $1.2 million for the Redwood City Douglas Avenue Pump Station Project; $2.4 million for the City/County Association of Governments of San Mateo County for a Stormwater Capture Project; $1 million for the San Mateo County electronic health records initiative; $800,000 for the Daly City Early Learning Center for Infants and Toddlers; $1.5 million for the East Palo Alto New Public Library; $800,000 for the Fencing for Caltrain Right of Way; $494,300 for the Filoli Wildfire Mitigation Project; $2 million for the Highway 1/Frenchman’s Creek Intersection and Bike/Pedestrian Improvements; $988,600 for the Levee Protection Planning and Improvements Project; $741,450 for the Midpeninsula Open Space Wildland Fire Resiliency Project; $750,000 for the San Mateo County History Museum Carriage House; $1.5 million for the San Mateo Marina Branch Public Library Restoration Project; $1.5 million for the South San Francisco New Library and Parks and Recreation Center; $4 million for the Middle Avenue Pedestrian/Bicycle Undercrossing project to build a tunnel under the Caltrain tracks to improve pedestrian safety in Menlo Park; $800,000 to resurface streets in the Sharp Park Priority Development Area in Pacifica, which has some of the worst pavement conditions in the entire Bay Area.

Caltrain is to also receive $43 million in funding, $10 million of which was secured by U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla as a community project and $33 million was included in the Federal Transit Administration’s Capital Investment Grant program. The money is to go toward its electrification project, which is facing a $367 million funding gap. The total project cost is $2.44 billion and electrified passenger service is expected to start in fall 2024 if the funding can be secured.