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Yesterday, the Bush Administration released funding recommendations for New Starts and Small Starts projects as part of the administration’s fiscal-year 2009 budget. Of the $10.1 billion proposed for public transportation, $1.6 billion would go toward transit construction projects.

The administration has proposed allocating $1.1 billion for 15 current New Starts projects and $160 million for two projects pending New Starts funding. The budget also would provide $200 million for nine new and four existing projects under the Small Starts program, which was created under SAFETEA-LU so smaller transit projects don’t have to compete with larger ones for federal funding.

The administration proposes to provide:

• $277.7 million for MTA New York City Transit’s 2.3-mile Second Avenue Subway project;

• $219.3 million for MTA Long Island Rail Road’s East Side Access project;

• $100 million to Sound Transit for the University Link light-rail, which is pending a Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA);

• $91.8 million for Valley Metro’s Central Phoenix East Valley 19.6-mile light-rail project;

• $88 million for Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s 21-mile Northwest/Southeast light-rail extension;

• $81.6 million for the Tri-County Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s 8.3-mile South Corridor I-205/Portland Mall light-rail project;

• $81.6 million for the Utah Transit Authority’s 43-mile Weber County-to-Salt Lake City commuter-rail line;

• $74.6 million for Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s 5.9-mile Metro Gold Line Eastside light-rail extension;

• $71.2 million for the Minnesota’s Northstar Corridor commuter-rail project;

• $60 million for the Regional Transportation District of Denver’s West Corridor light-rail project, also pending an FFGA;

• $57 million for Hampton Roads Transit’s 7.4-mile Norfolk, Va., light-rail line;

• $50 million for a 22.7-mile Metrolink commuter-rail extension;

• $50 million for a Portland, Ore., streetcar line extension;

• $34.7 million for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s Largo Metrorail extension rail-car purchase;

• $30.5 million for Chicago Transit Authority’s Brown Line capacity expansion project;

• $30 million for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s and Montachusett Regional Transit Authority’s Fitchburg-to-Boston commuter-rail line upgrade; and

• $28.9 million for Sound Transit’s13.9-mile Central Link light-rail line.