Only a little more than month ago, President Obama and Vice President Biden gave the good people here at DOT the honor of a joint visit to our headquarters. Today, they doubled that honor with a return joint visit.
On March 3, we announced the first release of funds under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA). The good news then was that we were creating jobs. Today, the President and Vice President came back to DOT to celebrate even better news: funding for the 2000th transportation project under ARRA.
That is not a typing error; the Michigan highway widening project is the TWO-THOUSANDTH recipient of ARRA transportation funds in just 41 days.
The project will improve safety and ease congestion by providing a more efficient I-94 in Kalamazoo County. Like all of the stimulus projects considered by our TIGER team, it makes the lives of ordinary transportation users easier while it creates jobs. That's what "reinvestment" and "recovery" mean, and that's what DOT has delivered.
The DOT has moved more swiftly than people thought possible, to make nearly all of its 48 billion dollars in recovery funds available, empowering every state and territory, wisely and accountably. And because construction bids are coming in lower than expected, our recovery dollars will go further. So even more projects can potentially go out for bid. It is a tribute to the hard work of DOT personnel that President Obama and Vice President Biden came back today for this announcement.
Today, President Obama said it best: “I am proud to utter the two rarest phrases in the English language – projects are being approved ahead of schedule, and they are coming in under budget.”
It's rare, indeed, when a brand new law can have a positive impact on people’s lives within a matter of weeks. But, that’s just what the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act has done. A positive impact on the lives of people who have new jobs. A positive impact on the lives of people using our roads, rails, waterways, and airways.
As Vice-President Biden told the folks at DOT this morning, "The Recovery Act is full- steam ahead on helping us build an economy for the 21st century."
I’m very encouraged by the progress we’ve made so far to put our recovery dollars to work. Thank you, President Obama and Vice-President Biden for acknowledging that progress.
I have not seen the full text of Pres. Obama's remarks at US DOT today, but surely credit for the 2000 transportation projects under ARRA---ahead of schedule and under budget---should be given not just to US DOT personnel and its TIGER team but also to the members of AASHTO and ARTBA, the former for contracting the projects in record time and the latter for responding so swiftly and in such large numbers to the President's initiative
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C. Kenneth Orski (korski@verizon.net)
Editor/Publisher
Innovation NewsBriefs (celebrating our 20th year of publication)
Potomac, MD 20854
tel: 301.299.1996; fax: 301.299.4425
www.innobriefs.com
Posted by: Ken Orski | April 13, 2009 at 05:42 PM
Congratulations Secretary LaHood! You and your staff have proven that government working for the people ... it's a good thing.
Transparency enables all vendors to have a chance at employing hard-working, competent people. Good job!
Can you explain a bit more on the TIGGER initiative?
Posted by: Francine | April 14, 2009 at 01:39 AM
Congratulations Secretary LaHood!
Posted by: Leon | April 14, 2009 at 12:14 PM
Good job guys, we need to take care of our interstates and roads. The roads and highways are in bad shape and now is the time to take care of this nationwide problem, Thank you President Obama and Vice President Biden.
RJ Owens
U.S. Barricades
Posted by: RJ | April 23, 2009 at 02:34 PM
It's always a good thing when effective laws take place. I'd love for the administration to attempt to handle the trains in the US. I am writing this while stuck on my commuter train, which already broke down this morning, leaving us stuck for up to 4 hours. This unreliability has plagued my nyc commute since I started working!
Posted by: Signature Barricades | December 16, 2010 at 06:36 PM
I'd love for the administration to attempt to handle the trains in the US. I am writing this while stuck on my commuter train, which already broke down this morning, leaving us stuck for up to 4 hours. This unreliability has plagued my nyc commute since I started working!
Posted by: Evelin E Dasmonn | May 12, 2011 at 05:31 AM