Thanks to the efforts of mass transportation advocates led on the ground by Transportation Alternatives, Streetsblog, and, nationally by Transportation For America and in Congress by NYC's own Congress Member Jerrold Nadler , the House of Representatives has voted to increase the mass transit portion of the stimulus package by $3 billion (check here for a blow-by-blow of the debate & vote)

Update. So much for Bipartisanship The stimulus package passed the House Tuesday night 244-188. Not one Republican voted for the stimulus, 11 Democrats voted against. The Times added a great map which identifies the 11 Democratic nay-sayers and GOP allies by district. Moveon seeks ad cash to soften GOP Senators' stimulus opposition.

From Nadler's office:

Today, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-08), the Northeast’s senior member on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (T & I), secured an additional $3 billion in transit funding when his amendment to H.R. 1, the American Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Plan, passed the House of Representatives. This increases the amount of transit funding in the Plan from $9 billion to $12 billion. Transportation experts, including House T & I Chairman Jim Oberstar, believed that the $9 billion previously included for transit in the bill was insufficient and had recommended $12 billion in order to maintain and improve transit systems nationwide. This $3 billion will create thousands more jobs, protect the environment through green transit projects and improve public transportation across the country. Of the $3 billion increase, $1.5 billion will go toward formula funding to transit agencies and $1.5 billion will be added to the New Starts program. Rep. Nadler organized a broad coalition of legislators and environmental and transportation advocates in order to push this crucial amendment through the House.

New York State and California will be the two largest recipients of this transit money, with New York standing to gain a considerable share of the $3 billion increase – some $214 million in formula money and hundreds of millions more for major new projects (possibly including the Second Avenue Subway and the East Side Access tunnel). With the additional funds for New York coming from the $3 billion increase, New York ’s grand total in transit funding will likely reach $2 billion.

There was a minor disappointment for me. Two of my favorite projects, the cross-harbor tunnel to bring freight to Brooklyn and the added cross hudson tunnel to ease NJ commuting, are not included.

Liz B. report on the Nadler Amendment is here

For an interesting discussion of transportation finance ... could such a subject be interesting? No. For a useful discussion try John Petro at the DMI Blog . Those of us who are true anti-highway fanatics, like me, will love the Streetsblog post about the development benefits of tearing them down

A highly partisan but good critique of GOP debating points on the stimulus? try Bill Sher at Our Future

Liz B's account of the Nadler Amendment is here

More later.