Washington, D.C. - Today, Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, issued the following statement regarding the Obama administration's announcement that the Crenshaw/LAX project is one of 14 infrastructure projects across the country that has been selected to receive accelerated reviews.

Senator Boxer said: "I am so pleased that the Obama administration has taken these steps to fast track the Crenshaw/LAX project, so that local communities will have access to improved transit service even sooner than expected. The Crenshaw/LAX Project will provide many much-needed jobs in the construction industry, which has been hard hit in these tough economic times."

The Crenshaw project is a key component of the Los Angeles 30/10 initiative - now known as America Fast Forward at the national level - which is designed to leverage local funds generated by the Measure R sales tax. Federal investment for the project is provided in part by the TIFIA (Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act) program. The entire Crenshaw project is expected to create more than 15,000 jobs.

The Senate is continuing to work on a bipartisan proposal, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21), that will reauthorize surface transportation programs at current funding levels for two years. Earlier this year, Senator Boxer and Senator James Inhofe (R-OK), EPW Ranking Member, released an outline for MAP-21, which modernizes and reforms the nation's transportation systems to help create jobs and build the foundation for long-term prosperity. The proposal includes a provision on America Fast Forward, which builds upon the success of the TIFIA program to help communities leverage their transportation resources through federal credit assistance. The Federal Highway Administration has stated that historically every Federal dollar spent through the TIFIA program can mobilize up to $30 in transportation investments.

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