By Jim Berard 202-226-5064
Nearly half of the funds provided for highway and transit projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act are now under contract, according to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. In a report issued today, the Committee noted that 6,472 projects worth $16.8 billion, or 49 percent of available formula funds, are under contract in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories. Within this total, work has begun on 5,279 projects worth $14.4 billion.
The Recovery Act highway and transit projects have created or sustained some 122,000 direct, on-project jobs, according to the Committee.
“This report shows that the Recovery Act is working,” said Committee Chairman James L. Oberstar (Minn.). “People are going back to work, earning a living wage, and taking care of their families. At the same time, we are improving our transportation infrastructure. It is a win-win for the American people.”
The Committee also released an updated ranking of individual states’ progress in investing the Recovery Act highway funds. Wyoming maintains its place at the top of the list with projects accounting for 95.8 percent of its funds now underway. Virginia is last among the 50 states and the District of Columbia with only 16.5 percent underway.
This data reflects numbers submitted by the states, the District, and the territories as of August 31.
In addition, the Committee reports that, as of September 18, federal agencies have announced 12,352 transportation and other infrastructure projects worth $40.6 billion. Of these, 11,624 projects have been specifically approved by the relevant agencies.
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Click here to read more about the Committee's ARRA Transparency and Accountability Information, including the latest reports and supporting material.
