Gov. Bev Perdue announced today an additional 64 highway and bridge projects totaling about $209 million that will be funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The projects identified to date total $679 million, more than 90 percent of the $735 million in recovery money North Carolina has received for highway and bridge improvements.
“North Carolina is leading the nation in efforts to expedite the selection of projects and get them under way as quickly as possible to get our people to work,” Perdue said. “Given our current economy, it is critical that we are using our recovery money to help put people to work and create much-needed economic growth for our communities.”
According to the Federal Highway Administration, every $1 million spent on transportation creates 30 jobs, and according to the construction industry, every dollar invested in transportation generates $6 in economic impact.
Based on these figures, the additional projects announced today are expected to help support more than 6,000 jobs and contribute nearly $1.3 billion to the economy. Overall, the projects announced to date are expected to help create and sustain more than 20,000 jobs and generate more than $4 billion in economic development.
The N.C. Department of Transportation had already identified about 70 highway and bridge projects to be let to contract between March and June through recovery funding. Eleven projects totaling $65.1 million were awarded to contract in March. The projects announced today will be let to contract over the next 12 months.
Earlier this month, Perdue was joined by Transportation Secretary Gene Conti and other local officials at a groundbreaking event for a recovery project that will widen U.S. 158 in Camden County. The $6.1 million contract was awarded to RPC Contracting Inc. of Kitty Hawk.
NCDOT has worked with local planning organizations across the state to determine which projects will be funded, taking into consideration the equity formula set by the N.C. General Assembly. Some areas have chosen to dedicate their share of the money to a single large project instead of multiple projects, and other regions are still in the process of determining which projects will be funded. In addition, the state’s largest metropolitan planning organizations have received direct allocations of recovery money and they are working to identify projects to be paid for through this funding.
Gov. Perdue announced in February that she will also pursue discretionary grant money included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to use for the $300 million replacement of the Yadkin River Bridge on I-85 in Davidson and Rowan counties. Perdue and Transportation Secretary Gene Conti are working with Sen. Kay Hagan, Rep. Mel Watt and the rest of North Carolina’s congressional delegation to obtain funding.
NCDOT is continuing to work with its local partners to identify projects to be funded through the remainder of the available money, including public transportation projects funded through the $103 million North Carolina received for transit improvements.
A list of the second round of economic recovery projects is attached. Additional information about recovery funding for infrastructure improvements in North Carolina and a list of all projects to date is also available at www.ncrecovery.gov and www.ncdot.gov.
