Highways

Recovery Putting People to Work on Investments with Long-Term Benefit

Nov. 3, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – The Federal Highway Administration crossed the $20 billion mark in approved obligations for highway, road and bridge projects this week, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced today. Of the $26.6 billion available for federal highway and bridge projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, more than 75 percent has now been obligated.

“Even though winter is right around the corner, highway and bridge projects are still getting underway, creating thousands of jobs and saving thousands more,” said Secretary LaHood. “The Recovery Act is helping repair America’s roads and bridges while putting people back to work.”    » read more »

Includes 11 funded through American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

11/3/2009 -- Raleigh -- North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue announced today that 18 contracts totaling $56.6 million have been awarded for highway and bridge projects across North Carolina, including 11 projects funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The contracts were awarded by the N.C. Department of Transportation to the lowest respective bidder, as required by state law. A list of the projects is attached.

“These recovery projects continue to help us to put North Carolinians to work and to deliver critical infrastructure improvements that will have a long-lasting economic impact on our state,” said. Gov. Perdue.    » read more »

Nov. 2, 2009 -- Colorado Governor Bill Ritter today submitted a $1.03 billion Fiscal Year 2010-11 transportation budget proposal to the legislature's Joint Budget Committee, a 6 percent increase from this year's $973.5 million.

Colorado's new FASTER law is fueling the much-needed increase, generating an estimated $160.6 million for the state's FY10-11 budget for bridge and roadway repair and safety work. An additional $61.1 million will go directly to local agencies from FASTER. Sponsored by Sen. Dan Gibbs and Rep. Joe Rice, FASTER (Funding Advancements for Surface Transportation and Economic Recovery) also will save and create thousands of jobs statewide.    » read more »

Oct. 15, 2009 -- CHARLESTON -- West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin, along with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the West Virginia Division of Highways, this week announced the awarding of 26 projects as part of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act totaling approximately $6.3 million.

These grants will provide West Virginia communities with funding assistance for the design and development of non-traditional projects such as improving safety for pedestrians and bicyclists through the construction of sidewalks and trails.

Listed by county, grant recipients for 2009 ARRA funding include:

BERKELEY
$329,000 to the City of Martinsburg for the Martinsburg Town Square Pedestrian Plaza

BROOKE
$200,000 to the City of Wellsburg for the Wellsburg Sidewalks 2009    » read more »

15 communities receive grants for road, trail projects from I-JOBS, State Recreational Trails Program

October 13, 2009 -- AMES – Iowa Governor Chet Culver announced today that the Iowa Transportation Commission has approved more than $2.5 million in grants for road improvement projects, a direct result of the Culver/Judge Administration’s I-JOBS initiative. In addition, the commission granted nearly $4.5 million for trail projects across the state through the State Recreational Trails Program.    » read more »

Federal Recovery-funded projects help create jobs, improve infrastructure

October 6, 2009 -- DES MOINES – Iowa Governor Chet Culver has announced that nine highway infrastructure projects statewide, worth more than $5.7 million, have been let by the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT).

These projects are funded in total or part through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act). Acceptance of the low-bid proposals and awarding of contracts are contingent upon final approval by the respective city or county governments.    » read more »

FHWA, Oklahoma State University to Partner on Critical Research Endeavor

October 5, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – FHWA will conduct an ambitious new study to better understand and prevent motorcycle crashes, Administrator Victor Mendez announced today.

Despite years of steadily improving highway safety and roadway fatalities at historic lows, motorcycle riders remain one of the highest-risk groups on America’s roads. Nearly 5,300 motorcycle riders died in roadway crashes in 2008, accounting for 14 percent of all traffic fatalities, and 96,000 were injured.    » read more »

10/1/2009 -- Raleigh -- North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue today announced that 17 contracts totaling $65.2 million have been awarded for highway, bridge and ferry projects across North Carolina, including eight projects funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The N.C. Department of Transportation awarded the contracts to the lowest respective bidder, as required by state law. A list of the projects is attached.

“These projects will stimulate economic growth by creating and sustaining jobs for North Carolinians while making lasting investments in our transportation system,” Perdue said.    » read more »

September 30, 2009 -- SANTA FE -- New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson today announced the approval of six additional road projects to be funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The pavement preservation projects will be funded with $24 million in surplus money from other stimulus funded highway projects that came in below estimates.

“This is a great way to pump the cost-savings from these projects back into our roads,” Governor Bill Richardson said. “It’s a win-win for our citizens and I applaud the New Mexico Department of Transportation for their proactive approach that will provide the state with an additional $24 million in road projects."    » read more »

Provided jobs for 84 workers, including 12 previously laid off

9/17/2009 -- Raleigh -- Motorists traveling along Intestate 40 in Winston-Salem are not the only ones benefitting from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s (ARRA) first completed project in North Carolina. The project provided work for 84 employees of APAC-Atlantic Inc., Thompson-Arthur Division of Greensboro and its subcontractors, including 12 who were previously laid off.

“This is one of many recovery projects across that state that are providing jobs now to North Carolinians and bringing lasting benefits to our state’s highways,” said Gov. Bev Perdue.    » read more »

August 28, 2009 -- WICHITA, Kan. – U.S. Transportation Deputy Secretary John D. Porcari today kicked off construction of the I-135 Interchange, the first highway project in Wichita with construction costs fully funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

“The reconstruction of the I-135 interchange here in Wichita is a great example of a stimulus project that’s going to leave a lasting impression,” Deputy Secretary Porcari said. “This project is going to relieve a chronic bottleneck and open the door to new commercial and retail development.”    » read more »

8/31/2009 -- Raleigh -- North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue announced today that 21 contracts totaling $50.8 million have been awarded for highway and bridge projects across North Carolina, including eight projects funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The contracts were awarded by the N.C. Department of Transportation to the lowest respective bidder, as required by state law. A list of the projects is attached.

“These projects are putting people to work, making critical improvements to our roads and bridges, and helping the local economies in communities across the state,” said Gov. Perdue    » read more »

Federal recovery-funded projects create jobs, improve infrastructure

July 8, 2009 -- DES MOINES – Today, Iowa Governor Chet Culver announced that $16.6 million in infrastructure projects – including one county road project valued at $1.4 million and three state highway projects at $15.2 million – have been let by the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT).

These projects are funded in total or part through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act). Acceptance of the low-bid proposals and awarding of contracts is contingent upon final approval of the respective parties. These projects were let by the Iowa DOT on June 30, 2009.    » read more »

July 06, 2009 -- MONTGOMERY – Currently, Alabama has 216 highway and bridge, 83 transit and 10 aviation projects being funded from the federal stimulus with more to be added in the future, Governor Bob Riley said Monday.

Alabama is receiving a total of $513.7 million for highway infrastructure projects, $46.4 million for transit projects and $12.2 million for airport projects from the stimulus. To date, 48 contracts totaling $131 million have been let to contract for highway and bridge projects receiving stimulus funding. By March 2010, state and federal officials will have obligated the remainder of the over $572 million stimulus allocation.    » read more »

June 2, 2009 -- Policymakers need to address equity concerns early when implementing congestion pricing to improve traffic flow, as each situation is unique and must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, according to a study issued today by the RAND Corporation.

Transportation policymakers often look to congestion pricing — charging drivers more to travel particular routes at peak travel times — as a way to reduce traffic gridlock and raise money for transportation projects. However, because these policies impose a cost on something that previously was not priced, critics often suggest that it will harm lower-income drivers who will be forced to pay additional costs or be "priced off" the roads.    » read more »