497 Highway Improvement Projects Underway or Completed in Illinois Thanks to Stimulus Law
WASHINGTON, March 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- There are currently 497 American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA)-financed highway construction projects underway or completed in Illinois involving $745.5 million in funds, according to data released today by the Washington, D.C.-based American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). The projects underway or completed have supported or are supporting 20,749 jobs in Illinois that would otherwise not exist, says ARTBA Vice President of Economics & Research Dr. Bill Buechner.
ARRA, signed into law on February 17, 2009, provided $48 billion for transportation improvements over two years, including $27.5 billion for highway, bridge and related construction projects nationwide. The law is having significant impacts on the transportation construction industry in all 50 states.
ARRA provided $935.6 million to Illinois for highway, bridge and related improvements. This one-time bonus added more than 83 percent to Illinois' regular federal highway funds under the current federal surface transportation law -- Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) -- bringing the state's total federal highway funding in 2009 to a record $2.06 billion.
According to Buechner, a Harvard-trained economist, another 242 projects have been identified and are slated to be under construction shortly.
The following shows the number of ARRA-financed highway projects and amount obligated in each Illinois congressional district.
Congressional District |
Number of projects |
Amount Obligated |
|
1 |
18 |
$35,151,635 |
|
2 |
32 |
$89,421,732 |
|
3 |
29 |
$20,408,427 |
|
4-5 |
11 |
$11,953,819 |
|
6 |
13 |
$12,665,435 |
|
7 |
10 |
$45,709,720 |
|
8 |
26 |
$41,546,510 |
|
9 |
23 |
$21,874,772 |
|
10 |
20 |
$19,078,003 |
|
11 |
59 |
$57,527,983 |
|
12 |
51 |
$34,524,294 |
|
13 |
27 |
$26,049,800 |
|
14 |
44 |
$35,654,914 |
|
15 |
76 |
$84,464,888 |
|
16 |
49 |
$31,189,263 |
|
17 |
60 |
$74,314,258 |
|
18 |
68 |
$67,861,249 |
|
19 |
60 |
$66,068,280 |
|
Multidistrict/Statewide |
62 |
$145,181,457 |
|
A full report can be obtained by contacting ARTBA's Jeff Solsby at [email protected] or 202-289-4434.
For 108 years, ARTBA has represented the U.S. transportation design and construction industry before Congress, the White House, federal agencies, news media and general public.
SOURCE American Road & Transportation Builders Association
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