At least 311,000 direct, on-project highway and transit jobs have been created or sustained across the country during the first year of the Recovery Act, according to a new report released last week by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
The report also finds that Iowa, Maine, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Wyoming have 95 percent or more of their American Recovery and Reinvestment Act highway formula funds committed to projects that are underway or have already been completed.
“The positive effect of those 311,000 jobs can be felt in households and communities all across the country,” said John Horsley, AASHTO executive director. “States are using Recovery Act investments to improve 34,500 miles of pavement and 1,262 bridges. We’re talking about real value for the American public because their tax money is being spent wisely on improvements that will last for decades.”
According to the report, almost 100 percent of the recovery funds dedicated to highway and transit projects have been approved at the federal level. More than 11,000 highway and bridge projects worth $24.9 billion are in the bidding process and work is underway on 8,613 projects that will bring $19.6 billion into the communities where the projects are located. On the transit side, work is underway on 3,279 projects totaling $4.7 billion.
