According to a report from the U.S. Department of Transportation, transportation secretary Ray LaHood announced a hefty gift for Bay Area public transportation: $48.3 Million. This chunk of change will, hopefully, improve your commute in Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco counties. What will the funds go to? Well, the construction of a walkway at Balboa Park station with an "automatic fare collection equipment, lighting, security cameras and a new entrance plaza connected to ADA-accessible walkway to Ocean Avenue," for starters. The money will also be used to up"date transit vehicles with new carpeting and seat cushions," as well as replacing electrical equipment and "sacrificial anodes and anode cables along the length of the Transbay Tube." That is to say, lots of hammering, clipboards, hard hats, and test tubes with dry ice plumes will most likely be involved. "By reinvesting in our nation’s transit infrastructure, we are making our communities more livable, invigorating the local economy, and putting America back to work," LaHood shilled.