Highway Projects
Extent of Unobligated Balances for Demonstration Projects as of March 31, 2002 Gao ID: GAO-02-721R June 5, 2002Congress has provided funding for numerous highway demonstration projects in legislation authorizing surface transportation programs as well as 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 all designated for specific locations within states and for specific purposes, and funds made available for them generally remain available until expended. As of March 31, 2002, there were 30 highway demonstration projects with unobligated balances no longer needed by the states totaling $5.6 million. These unobligated funds were provided in authorization or appropriations acts enacted from 1978 through 1994. Eight of the 30 projects have very small unobligated balances of less than $1.50 each.
GAO-02-721R, Highway Projects: Extent of Unobligated Balances for Demonstration Projects as of March 31, 2002
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June 5, 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 Unobligated Balances for
Demonstration Projects as of March 31, 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 all designated for
specific locations within states and for specific purposes, and funds
made available for them generally remain available until expended. In
order to identify funds that could be rescinded, you asked us to
identify highway demonstration projects with unobligated balances that
are no longer needed, and the amount of these balances.
Results:
As of March 31, 2002, there were 30 highway demonstration projects with
unobligated balances that were no longer needed by the states.
[Footnote 1] These projects accounted for about $5.6 million in
unobligated funds. These funds were provided in authorization or
appropriations acts enacted from 1978 through 1994. Table 1 in the
enclosure specifies the budget authority made available and the
obligated and unobligated amounts for each of the projects with
unobligated balances as of March 31, 2002; lists the statute(s) and,
where appropriate, committee report(s) identifying the projects,
beginning with the most recent, and describes briefly the location and
nature of the projects. We also found that 8 of the 30 projects have
very small unobligated balances of less that $1.50 each, and we have
provided that information to your staff.
Scope and Methodology:
To identify highway demonstration projects with unobligated balances,
we requested that the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) analyze
reports from DOT‘s fiscal management information system (FMIS) and
verify the information with state officials. 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 obligated and unobligated amounts for
each project and did not independently verify this information. We
conducted our review in April and May 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 office, unless you publicly announce its contents
earlier, we plan no further distribution of this letter until 30 days
after the draft of the report. At that time, we will send copies of
this letter to the Secretary of Transportation, the Administrator of
the Federal Highway Administration, the Senate Committee on
Appropriations, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works,
and the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. The
letter 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
Katherine Siggerud at (202) 512-2834. Other key contributors to this
letter were Alex Lawrence and Bonnie Pignatiello Leer.
JayEtta Hecker, Director, Physical Infrastructure Issues:
Signed by JayEtta Hecker.
Enclosure:
[End of Section]
Enclosure:
Table 1. Summary of Demonstration Projects with Unobligated Balances
(as of
March 31, 2002):
State: Ohio; Public law, section, and related report; Public Law 103-
331
(1994); Surface; Transportation; Projects; House Conference Report 103-
752;
Project description: Intermodal terminal, Fearing Boulevard, Toledo,
Ohio;
Budget authority; $668,000.00; Obligations; $0.00; Unobligated
balance;
$668,000.00.
State: Virginia; Public law, section, and related report; Public Law
103-331
(1994); Surface; Transportation; Projects; House Conference Report 103-
752;
Project description; 14th Street bridge lane addition, Virginia; Budget
authority; 1,000,000.00; Obligations; 829,849.00; Unobligated balance;
170,151.00.
State: Florida; Public law, section, and related report; Public Law
102-388
(1992); Highway Projects (Highway Trust Fund); House Conference Report
102-924; Project description; Biscayne Boulevard/U.S. 1, connect Port/
Miami
to Interstate 395; Budget authority; 2,400,000.00; Obligations;
1,808,927.00;
Unobligated balance; 591,073.00.
State: Washington, D.C.; Public law, section, and related report;
Public Law
102-240 (1991); (§1107(b)(201)); Project description; Advanced
composite
bridge deck demonstration at Catholic University; Budget authority;
195,085.00;
Obligations; 0.00; Unobligated balance; 195,085.00.
State: Illinois; Public law, section, and related report; Public Law
102-240
(1991); (§1106(b)(2)(13)); Project description; Joliet, Illinois: for
rehabilitation of Houbolt Road from Jefferson Street to Joliet Junior
College
and construction and interchange at Houbolt Road and Interstate 80;
Budget
authority; 975,428.00; Obligations; 818,828.60; Unobligated balance;
156,599.40.
State: Illinois; Public law, section, and related report; Public Law
102-240
(1991); (§1107 (b)(105)); Project description; U.S. 24 road
replacement:
Crescent City to Illinois 1 in Watseka; 6.3 miles; Budget authority;
2,438,571.00; Obligations; 2,193,619.54; Unobligated balance;
244,951.46.
State: Illinois; Public law, section, and related report; Public Law
102-240
(1991); (§1106(a)(2)(9)); Project description; East St. Louis,
Illinois:
feasibility study for 4-lane Access Road to Jefferson Memorial Park;
Budget
authority; 234,103.00; Obligations; 0.00; Unobligated balance;
234,103.00.
State: Minnesota; Public law, section, and related report; Public Law
102-240
(1991); (§1107(b)(160)); Project description; St. Cloud, Minnesota:
Trunk
Highway15 bridge across Mississippi River and interchange with Trunk
Highway 10;
Budget authority; 3,160,388.00; Obligations; 3,079,685.88; Unobligated
balance;
80,702.12.
State: Ohio; Public law, section, and related report; Public Law 102-
240 (1991);
(§1106(a)(2)(86)); Project description; Route 18 Bypass study, Medina,
Ohio;
Budget authority; 390,172.00; Obligations; 0.00; Unobligated balance;
390,172.00.
State: North Dakota; Public law, section, and related report; Public
Law
102-143 (1991); Highway; Demonstration; Projects; House Conference
Report
102-243; Project description; Highway beautification, Grand Forks,
North
Dakota; Budget authority; 800,000.00; Obligations; 785,010.31;
Unobligated
balance; 14,989.69.
State: New Jersey; Public law, section, and related report; Public Law
102-143
(1991); Highway Studies,; Feasibility--; Design,; Environmental,;
Engineering;
House Conference Report 102-243; Project description; Highway Study -
Route
208/Route 4 interchange, New Jersey; Budget authority; $4,000,000.00;
Obligations; $1,308,726.22; Unobligated balance; $2,691,273.78.
State: Oregon; Public law, section, and related report; Public Law 102-
143
(1991); Highway Demonstration Projects; House Conference Report 102-
243;
Project description; Highway 101 Tri-State Feasibility Study[A]; Budget
authority; 270,000.00; Obligations; 217,309.88; Unobligated balance;
52,690.12.
State: Washington; Public law, section, and related report; Public Law
102-143
(1991); Highway Demonstration Projects; House Conference Report 102-
243;
Public Law 102-240 (1991); (§1107(b)(39)); Project description; Bryden
Canyon
Bridge access, Clarkston, Washington; Budget authority; 3,600,000.00;
Obligations; 3,585,502.46; Unobligated balance; 14,497.54.
State: Washington; Public law, section, and related report; Public Law
102-143
(1991); Highway Demonstration Projects; House Conference Report 102-
243;
Public Law 102-240 (1991); (§1107(b)(39)); Bryden, Washington:
construct 3
miles of new and improved highways connecting Clarkston, Washington,
with
Lewiston, Idaho; Budget authority; 3,804,171.00; Obligations;
3,798,028.84;
Unobligated balance; 6,142.16.
State: Illinois; Public law, section, and related report; Public Law
101-516
(1990); Highway Demonstration Projects; House Conference Report 101-
892;
Public Law 102-143 (1991); Highway Demonstration Projects; House
Conference
Report 102-243; Project description; Bridge
Construction - Hillsboro, Illinois; Budget authority; 1,280,000.00;
Obligations; 1,212,660.05; Unobligated balance; 67,339.95.
State: Arkansas; Public law, section, and related report; Public Law
101-516
(1990); Highway Demonstration Projects--; Preliminary Engineering;
House
Conference Report 101-892; Project description; Interstate 66
Feasibility
Study[B]; Budget authority; 10,000.00; Obligations; 8,169.00;
Unobligated
balance; 1,831.00.
State: Kentucky; Public law, section, and related report; Public Law
101-516
(1990); Highway Demonstration Projects--; Preliminary Engineering;
House
Conference Report 101-892; Interstate 66 Feasibility Study[B]; Budget
authority; $10,000.00; Obligations; $7,118.19; Unobligated balance;
$2,881.81.
State: Ohio; Public law, section, and related report; Public Law 101-
516
(1990); Highway Demonstration Projects--; Preliminary Engineering;
House
Conference Report 101-892; Project description; Interstate 66
Feasibility
Study[B]; Budget authority; 2,500.00; Obligations; 0.00; Unobligated
balance; 2424.00.
State: Texas; Public law, section, and related report; Public Law 101-
516
(1990); Highway Demonstration Projects--; Preliminary Engineering;
House
Conference Report 101-892; Project description; Interstate 66
Feasibility
Study[B]; Budget authority; 2,500.00; Obligations; 92.87; Unobligated
balance; 2,407.13.
State: Utah; Public law, section, and related report; Public Law 101-
516
(1990); Highway Demonstration Projects--; Preliminary Engineering;
House
Conference Report 101-892; Project description; Interstate 66
Feasibility
Study[B]; Budget authority; 10,000.00; Obligations; 6,365.04;
Unobligated
balance; 3,634.96.
State: Virginia; Public law, section, and related report; Public Law
101-516
(1990); Highway Demonstration Projects--; Preliminary Engineering;
House
Conference Report 101-892; Project description; Interstate 66
Feasibility
Study[B]; Budget authority; 10,000.00; Obligations; 4,208.00;
Unobligated
balance; 5,792.00.
State: West Virginia; Public law, section, and related report; Public
Law
101-516 (1990); Highway Demonstration Projects--; Preliminary
Engineering;
House Conference Report 101-892; Project description; Interstate 66
Feasibility Study[B]; Budget authority; 10,000.00; Obligations; 0.00;
Unobligated balance; 10,000.00.
State: Illinois; Public law, section, and related report; Public Law
97-424
(1983); (§131(j)(1)[C] ); Project description; A demonstration project
for
the purpose of showing the benefits of constructing usable segments of
high-volume facilities and developing methods to achieve the effective
implementation of massive capital investments made under federal
programs
that are being discontinued.; Budget authority; 97,663,821.08;
Obligations;
97,661,227.33; Unobligated balance; 2,593.75.
State: Total; Public law, section, and related report; [Empty]; Project
description; [Empty]; Budget authority; $122,934,739.08; Obligations;
$117,325,328.21; Unobligated balance; $5,609,334.87.
Table Footnotes:
[A] According to FHWA, The study included Oregon, California, and
Washington.
[B] According to FHWA, the study was originally authorized $1,275,000
and included 15 states: Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas,
Kentucky, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, Virginia,
and West Virginia. This report includes unobligated balances for this
project in seven of these states.
[C] Public Law 97-424 originally authorized $100,000,000 for this
project. FHWA officials told us that subsequently, in accordance with
Public Law 99-177 (1985), the project‘s budget authority was reduced to
$98,925,000. Public Law 104-59 (1995) rescinded $798,701 of the funds
that had been made available for this project. We identified a $462,478
unobligated balance for this project in Highway Projects: Extent of
Unobligated Balances for Demonstration Projects , (GAO-01-985R, August
17, 2001) and this was rescinded pursuant to Public Law 107-120 (2001).
Subsequently, Illinois identified an additional $2,593.75 unobligated
balance.
Source: Adapted by GAO from information provided by the FHWA.
[End of table]
(544037):
FOOTNOTES
[1] We identified another set of demonstration projects with
unobligated
balances in 2001. See Highway Projects: Extent of Unobligated Balances
for
Demonstration Projects (GAO-01-985R, Aug. 17, 2001.)
