77 Highway Improvement Projects Underway or Completed in Arkansas Thanks to Stimulus Law
WASHINGTON, March 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- There are currently 77 American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA)-financed highway construction projects underway or completed in Arkansas involving $160.7 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 4,472 jobs in Arkansas 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 $351.9 million to Arkansas for highway, bridge and related improvements. This one-time bonus added more than 86 percent to Arkansas's 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 $762.7 million.
According to Buechner, a Harvard-trained economist, another 36 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 Arkansas congressional district.
Congressional District |
Number of projects |
Amount Obligated |
|
1 |
32 |
$76,964,028 |
|
2 |
24 |
$83,590,377 |
|
3 |
18 |
$81,061,893 |
|
4 |
37 |
$106,281,247 |
|
Multidistrict/Statewide |
2 |
$2,015,734 |
|
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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