President Signs Transportation Funding Law

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resident Bush signed into law Wednesday a measure that provides $65.9 billion in funding for transportation projects during the current fiscal year that began Oct. 1, including funding for Amtrak, Bloomberg reported.

Amtrak would get $1.3 billion for the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30, an increase from $1.2 billion the previous year. The bill also requires Amtrak to look for ways to reduce its federal subsidy through steps such as cutting food and beverage costs, Bloomberg said.

The bill included provisions for Amtrak to haul some freight along with its regular passenger runs. (Click here for previous coverage.)

The measure also redirects funds for two Alaska bridges to the state’s transportation department, which could use the $442 million for any purpose, Bloomberg reported. The bridges were included in the highway funding law passed by Congress passed in July.

Critics have used them as examples of pet projects that benefit lawmakers' home districts, including the so-called “bridge to nowhere” span that would have connected the town of Ketchikan to an island with just 50 full-time residents.