OLYMPIA – Construction activity on Washington’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) highway projects is in high gear, as drivers see more and more transportation workers and orange barrels on roadways throughout the state.
"These Recovery Act projects are making a difference in rural and urban communities, supporting jobs and improving roadways around the state,” said Paula Hammond, Washington Transportation Secretary. “There are Recovery Act highway construction projects under way in most counties in Washington with more than 135 projects awarded or under construction. And this is in addition to ongoing delivery of projects funded by the 2003 and 2005 gas tax packages.”
The Federal Highway Administration provided $492 million for state and local highway projects in Washington state, advancing projects and jobs to address high-priority highway preservation needs and fund low-cost, high-benefit transportation system improvements.
WSDOT reports monthly on a range of measurements to the U.S. Department of Transportation and to Congress. The most recent report, submitted August 26, showed that contractor payrolls doubled for the second month in a row, with labor hours increasing by 150 percent from June to July. The employment data shows workers on Recovery Act-funded projects logged more than 144,000 labor hours in July, compared to just less than 58,000 hours in June. This is evidence that these projects are continuing to contribute to Washington’s construction workforce and sustaining our state’s economy.
Washington’s ARRA program accomplished a number of milestones in August including the start of the I-5 HOV lane expansion in Pierce County, the state’s largest Recovery Act highway project to date. WSDOT also applied for a Recovery Act-funded energy grant and more than $400 million in high speed passenger rail stimulus funds.
As of August 26, eight ARRA highway projects in Washington state are substantially complete, projects that improve safety and increase pavement lifespan in every corner of the state, including 15 miles of new pavement on several county roads in Eastern Washington’s Garfield County, one of the state’s most economically-distressed areas. Washington currently has 135 projects awarded to contractors or currently under construction. A total of 163 projects have been advertised to date.
As a whole, WSDOT has obligated $242 million (71 percent) of $344.6 million, with funds now obligated to 33 of 36 individual state projects. Local cities and counties have obligated $130 million (85 percent) of $152.1 million in local funds. Washington has until March 1, 2010, to obligate the rest.
In addition to the Recovery Act investments, WSDOT is currently delivering the largest capital construction program in Washington’s history, including hundreds of safety and congestion relief projects funded by the 2003 and 2005 gas tax, worth $13.4 billion. As of June 30, WSDOT has completed 194 of 391 projects, and by September 30, 2009, 284 of the 391 projects (73 percent) will either be completed or under construction.
Washington state is administering the ARRA investments with an unprecedented level of transparency and accountability. Gov. Gregoire created a Web site, www.recovery.wa.gov, so every Washingtonian can see where tax dollars are going and hold government accountable for the results. On the federal level, President Obama has appointed Vice President Biden to oversee all states’ recovery efforts and to root out waste and fraud. This combined oversight will ensure taxpayer dollars are put to good use and recharge the economy.
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