The U.S. House of Representatives passed the 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act Wednesday, which could potentially provide more than $600,000 to Madison to fund two major projects for the city.

The funding request in the bill was proposed by U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, and would be used to repair Mineral Point Road and filter Madison’s water.

According to Rachel Strauch-Nelson, spokesperson for Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, approximately $330,000 will be used to rework the intersection between Mineral Point Road and the injunction road on the far west side of the city.

It is a heavily trafficked intersection that has grown over the past few years, Strauch-Nelson said. She added the repairs will reduce congestion and increase the safety of motorists.

“The injunction has become a bottleneck for commuters, a hazard for pedestrians, and a critical safety plan needed to be addressed,” Baldwin spokesperson Jerilyn Goodman said.

Goodman added Baldwin is guided by the community’s urgent needs. She said safety and health are two prevalent issues that are often dealt with.

In addition to fixing the junction roads on the west side, Strauch-Nelson said approximately $300,000 will be allocated toward filtering existing wells in Madison for the removal of iron and manganese.

The wells’ supply of water is a problem the city is undertaking, and it is a public health concern the city needs to address, Goodman said.

Although some believe the money is going toward a good cause, Kirsten Kukowski, spokesperson for the Republican Party of Wisconsin, said she thinks funds should be used to prioritize the creation of jobs.

“Baldwin’s spending provisions … can probably wait until we get ourselves out of this recession,” Kukowski wrote in an e-mail.

She added every year the federal government compiles an appropriation bulk, a determined amount of money the federal government reserves for funding specific projects.

The Senate is expected to vote on the bill next week.