[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 42 (Tuesday, April 16, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E545]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        THE ALAMEDA CORRIDOR: A MODEL FOR PUBLIC WORKS PROJECTS

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                           HON. STEPHEN HORN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 16, 2002

  Mr. HORN. Mr. Speaker, today, I want to pay tribute to one of the 
most successful public works projects in our nation's recent history. A 
$2.4 billion engineering masterpiece that will greatly bolster U.S. 
trade with Asia and Latin America and benefit our economy well into the 
future. The project, which covers a large portion of my district in 
Long Beach, California, is a 33-foot deep, 50-foot wide trench that 
allows freight trains to travel underground to and from the ports of 
Long Beach and Los Angeles to downtown Los Angeles.
  The 20-mile long corridor eliminated more that 200 railroad crossings 
and erected 30 new bridges. It will provide residents and travelers 
throughout southern California with much needed relief from traffic 
congestion and air and noise pollution. The corridor also reduces 
travel time for trains by more than half--allowing for increased trade 
goods to flow in and out of the ports.
  The Alameda Corridor celebrated its grand opening on April 12th. I 
joined with my congressional colleagues, Reps. David Dreier and Juanita 
Millender McDonald, as well as my good friend Secretary Norman Mineta 
and many other public officials who contributed significantly to the 
project's completion on schedule and within budget.
  Since planning for this project began in the eighties and continued 
throughout the early nineties, many hands contributed to its progress. 
But few were as instrumental in giving this project its wings. One of 
them was my predecessor, former congressman Glenn Anderson. He was 
chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Public Works. He 
gave excellent support to the Alameda Corridor when he was in good 
health. Former Congressman, and now Secretary of Transportation Norm 
Mineta followed him as chairman and continued with strong support. And 
Gil Hicks, without question, is the visionary who started the ball 
rolling with the planning group.
  I also want to mention another one of Norm Mineta's colleagues . . . 
Federico Pena, the former Secretary of Transportation. Without his 
judgement on putting up the money, nothing would have happened 
throughout the nineties. Other strong supporters were then Speaker Newt 
Gingrich, then Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, and then Governor Pete 
Wilson. Every one of them was very helpful. And particularly the 
Congressional delegation from Los Angeles County. We had all sorts of 
things going at that time. The County was experiencing deep 
unemployment at the time. With the end of the Cold War, the major 
airplane manufacturing firms, and hundreds of suppliers closing their 
doors. The C-17 was the only airplane under production. But Mayor 
Riordan of Los Angeles and Mayor O'Neill of Long Beach persevered. They 
both came to Washington on numerous occasions. They were always 
successful in garnering support from the White House. With these people 
oiling the wheels, a lot was accomplished by a lot of people. And the 
winds of trade from Asia and Latin America are moving up that corridor 
and democracy is thriving. I want to thank all these fine people for 
what they have done. This project would not have happened without their 
hard work. The Alameda Corridor will serve as a model for congested 
cities across the country for years to come.

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