DOD Approves $180 Million for the Federal Highway Administration to Begin U.S. Route 1 Expansion at Fort Belvoir

The Department of Defense and the Department of Transportation today announced the approval of $180 million from the Office of Economic Adjustment (OEA) for the Federal Highway Administration to widen U.S. Route 1 through Fort Belvoir, Va.  The expansion of U.S. Route 1 will facilitate a safer and easier commute for patients, service members, and civilian employees of the new Fort Belvoir Community Hospital.

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said, “Fort Belvoir is a premier military installation with a growing importance in our defense community and the community of Fairfax County.  The expansion of Route 1 will improve the quality of life for all service members and civilians serving at this key post.”

 “This project will create jobs, ease congestion, and improve safety and accessibility along a critical route for the area’s military personnel and others driving in Fairfax County,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.  “Road projects like this one are what President Obama was talking about when he called for an America built to last.”

The funds will be used to widen -- from four to six lanes -- 3.5 miles of U.S. Route 1 from Telegraph Road north to Mount Vernon Memorial Highway.  The project will include new bike lanes, pedestrian facilities, drainage and utility improvements.  It will also preserve a corridor for future transit needs. 

In addition, the project will improve access to Fort Belvoir at Tully Gate and Pence Gate, which serve as the main access point to the new Fort Belvoir Community Hospital.  The hospital receives more than 574,000 outpatients and 10,000 inpatients per year and impacts Fort Belvoir access for 23,000 military and civilian personnel in the area.

Acting through an interagency agreement, the Federal Highway Administration Eastern Federal Lands Highway Division will complete the project in coordination with Fairfax County, the Virginia Department of Transportation, and the command at Fort Belvoir.  Groundbreaking for the project may commence once all environmental requirements have been met.

This announcement marks the first funding approved under the $300 million program authorized by Section 8110 of Public Law 112-10, The DoD and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011, which enabled the Department of Defense to finance projects for transportation infrastructure improvements associated with medical facilities related to the 2005 round of the Base Closure and Realignment process.  In November 2011, OEA invited Fairfax County to apply for these funds after a selection panel comprised of Defense and Transportation officials reviewed concepts to improve access to medical facilities across the nation.

Railways Industry Announces Job Opportunities for Vets

By Lisa Daniel

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON – Soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines considering separating from the active-duty military this year may seek employment options in the railways industry, which today became the latest to pledge jobs to veterans.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced the 5,000-job pledge in a conference call with reporters, making rail the latest industry to offer jobs as part of the Joining Forces campaign. He was joined by Ed Hamberger, president and CEO of the Association of American Railroads, and Navy Capt. Brad Cooper, director of Joining Forces, which First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, created to help service members, veterans and their families.

Obama and Biden announced the hiring campaign last summer, with a goal of hiring 100,000 veterans or military spouses by 2013. Today, Cooper said, 1,600 companies have signed on to the Joining Forces challenge, hiring 90,000 veterans and spouses with pledges to hire 170,000 more in the coming years.

What is unique about today’s announcement, Cooper said, is that the 5,000 rail jobs are open now or in the very near future. They are listed on the association’s website, http://www.aar.org.

The jobs, offered by about 500 companies, range from operating locomotives to working in signaling and telecommunications. “It’s the whole spectrum of work,” Cooper said. Most of the jobs are in freight rail, but also with Amtrak, commuter rails and rail supply companies, he said.

The industry is hiring because it’s growing, Hamberger said, with some $23 billion in investments at the same time that nearly a quarter of the freight rail workforce will be eligible to retire by 2015.

“We want to reach out and let veterans know that we’re hiring,” he said.

The industry has actively recruited veterans since it sought out military academy graduates to build the first railroad system more than 200 years ago, Hamberger said.

“We’ve learned that the skills service members learn in the armed forces translate very well to our industry,” he said. “We, first and foremost, are focused on safety. You learn in the armed services that if you don’t follow the rules, bad things happen.

“We need teamwork, dependability, and high tech,” he added, noting that military experience builds those skills.

The rail industry made more than 20,000 new hires last year –which was more than 5,000 than it expected – and one in four are veterans, Hamberger said.

Improving the nation’s railways and hiring veterans are two of President Barack Obama’s priorities, LaHood said. “Today’s generation of heroes has made the United States safer and more respected around the world,” he said. “The president has asked that we serve them as they have served us.”

About 15,000 veterans work for the Transportation Department, LaHood said, and 3,000 of those have disabilities, many from their military service. The department recently created a Web portal – http://www.dot.gov/veteranstransportationcareers – “that tells our returning warriors what jobs are available and how they can become certified,” he said.

“Helping our veterans find work and fulfilling our transportation needs is a win-win,” he said.

Grants to Connect Veterans, Families to Local Transportation

From a Department of Transportation News Release

WASHINGTON – Veterans and their families will have better access to local bus, vanpool and other transportation options with $29 million in grants, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced today.

During a conference call with reporters, LaHood said the grants will fund 64 projects in 33 states to help veterans, wounded warriors and their families find affordable rides to jobs, and job training, education, and health facilities.

“Ensuring that our veterans and military families have access to quality, convenient transportation is just one way we can thank them for their service,” LaHood said. “With these transportation grants, we will help connect veterans and military families with the jobs and training opportunities they deserve, as well as the medical care and other services they need, all located close to home.”

The Veterans Transportation and Community Living Initiative, funded and managed by the Federal Transit Administration, supports efforts by local governments and transit agencies to implement technologies -- ranging from smartphone applications to real-time transit bus locator information -- that make it easier for veterans and others to access and schedule rides on available buses, vans, taxis and other transportation systems.

The unemployment rate for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans is more than 12 percent, more than four percentage points above the national average.

“America’s war heroes deserve a chance to support their families, participate in their communities, receive job training and get to work,” said FTA Administrator Peter M. Rogoff, who was in Lee County, Fla., for the announcement. “It’s vitally important that we remove barriers to success by making transportation available wherever our veterans choose to live, work and receive care.”

For example, Lee County, Fla., is receiving $1.4 million to fund information kiosks at locations that include a new Veterans Affairs Department outpatient clinic in Cape Coral, where veterans can readily obtain real-time information on rides and schedules, day or night.

Also, a $450,000 grant for the Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority in Dayton, Ohio, will make it easier for returning and retired veterans and those who have disabilities to arrange for rides by phone, smartphone or on the Web, officials said. Dayton is home to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and 80,000 veterans, officials noted.

Rogoff said the transit administration received 81 eligible proposals requesting $41 million for this second round of the Veterans Transportation and Community Living Initiative grants, reflecting strong demand for the program. In fiscal 2011, FTA awarded $34.6 million for 55 veterans’ transportation projects around the country.

LaHood said the Federal Interagency Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility, which he chairs, is a partnership of federal departments working to better coordinate federal programs on behalf of people with disabilities, older adults and individuals with lower incomes. The council developed the Veterans Transportation and Community Living Initiative, he added.

Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over

By April Phillips, Naval Safety Center Public Affairs

NORFOLK (NNS) -- A nationwide crackdown on impaired driving led by the Department of Transportation is timed to reduce the number of alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes during the holiday season.

The campaign, known as "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over," will run through Jan. 2 and will involve thousands of law enforcement officers across the country.

Nationwide there has been a reduction in alcohol-related crashes and fatalities. This positive trend is also evident in the Navy, where alcohol-related incidents have been declining for several years.

Nonetheless, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that 10,228 people were killed by drunk drivers in 2010, including 415 during the second half of December alone.

The campaign's timing is purposeful. There are many opportunities for Sailors to over imbibe during the holiday season.

"It could be the result of family get-togethers or command parties," said Dan Dray, a traffic safety specialist at the Naval Safety Center. "Either way, it's important to plan for a safe ride home."

He also said that it's important to make that plan before taking the first sip of alcohol. The best of intentions can fall apart as alcohol impairs judgment.

"Young service members may be at increased risk for driving impaired," Dray said. "Many are away from home for the first time and may be unaware of their personal alcohol limits."

"We know that the young Sailors are going to go out and have fun, but the biggest asset they have in terms of safety is their peers. Everyone carries a cell phone these days, so if you've had too much to drink, call a friend to come pick you up or take advantage of the safe ride programs that many ships offer," Dray said.

These safe ride programs are usually sponsored by a command's Morale, Welfare and Recreation department. They involve "no questions asked" rides back to the ship and Dray said there is no punishment for using the service.

"The only thing is you'll be asked to pay the taxi bill later," he said. "It's a lot cheaper than the fines, lawyer bills, community service, and career ramifications that come with a DUI charge."

Drunk driving doesn't just affect one Sailor and his or her career. The ramifications ripple through the unit and the surrounding community.

"When a shipmate is lost, it's not just a military member," said Bonnie Revell, also a traffic safety specialist. "That person is also a father, mother, brother, sister, son or daughter."

Revell has also talked to members of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and said she's seen the anguish in the faces of those who have lost children as a result of an intoxicated driver.

"The heartbreak is intense. Knowing they will never hear 'I love you' again, or that they will never have grandchildren because they lost their only child. It's just devastating," she said.

She said that Sailors who are pulled over for DUI during the "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" campaign are actually the lucky ones. While they may face severe personal and professional ramifications, those are mild in comparison to what could have happened - a crash killing themselves or an innocent motorist.