The White House just announced President Obama’s latest “We Can’t Wait” initiative — expediting transit projects in Minnesota and critical swing-state Ohio.
Early voting begins tomorrow in Ohio.
The reason for the rush, according to the administration, is that “these projects will improve local and regional connectivity and provide more transit choices for residents and commuters.”
“Best practices, including conducting permitting and other environmental review processes concurrently instead of sequentially, are expected to shave several months off project schedules,” the White House said.
“Investments in infrastructure are putting people back to work in Minnesota and Ohio building and modernizing our transit systems,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “The Obama administration is committed to doing its part to help communities across the country move forward with these critical projects as quickly and efficiently as possible.”
The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority’s University Circle-Little Italy Rapid Station project involves the relocation of an existing station at E 120th Street and construction of a new a rail transit station along with the rehabilitation of two transit track bridges at Mayfield Road. It’s funded in part with a Department of Transportation TIGER grant.
The Romney camp today highlighted a Public Policy Polling report yesterday showing Obama up four points over Mitt Romney.
“It’s a mistake to think based on recent polling in Ohio that the race there is over. Obama is not popular in the state, with 48% of voters approving of him to 49% who disapprove,” PPP said. “Among voters who remain undecided there just 13% think he’s doing a good job to 65% who give him poor marks. That doesn’t mean those folks will move to Romney en masse because they don’t particularly like him either (a 26/37 favorability rating) but it does mean there’s potential for the race there to get within tossup range over the final five weeks.”
“Bottom line – the race in Ohio is close, undecided voters are extremely unhappy with Barack Obama, and Mitt Romney’s campaign has built a ground game that is at the very least matching Obama’s while surpassing all previous Republican efforts when it comes to knocking on doors and contacting voters face-to-face,” Scott Jennings, senior adviser and Ohio state director for the Romney camp, said in a memo today.
Obama campaigns in Cleveland on Friday.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member