RICHMOND, VA. — The city of Virginia Beach has become the first locality in Virginia to be approved under the Urban Construction Initiative (UCI) Certification Program. The Urban Construction Initiative (also known as the First Cities Initiative) moves local administration from the project level to the program level, providing municipalities with the opportunity to manage their entire construction program.

 WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood awarded a $928.6 million grant to the California High-Speed Rail Authority for initial construction of California High-Speed Rail and awarded $150 million to the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) for a high-speed rail project to increase the safety and reliability of Amtrak’s Wolverine and Blue Water services between Detroit and Chicago. Construction on both projects is expected to begin next year.

 COLUMBUS, OHIO — The Ohio Office of Budget and Management (OBM) and Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) chose KPMG, LLP to advise Ohio as it considers ways to possibly use funds from the Ohio Turnpike to cope with shrinking resources to maintain and expand Ohio’s highways. KPMG will help Ohio consider all aspects of the Turnpike to analyze various options, determine which course of action is in the best interest of Ohioans, and make recommendations on how to proceed. The final recommendation could be anything from leaving the Turnpike in its current form; to moving it under ODOT; to leasing it to a private operator; to options Ohio perhaps hasn’t yet considered.

  WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced the award of $21 million for the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) for engineering to begin on three projects to improve Southern California’s Pacific Surfliner Corridor, one of the nation’s most popular passenger corridors.

 LOUISVILLE, KY. — An updated environmental review recommends a cost-saving approach for building two new bridges across the Ohio River and rebuilding the downtown Louisville interchange — setting the stage for construction to begin next year.