When I visited New Hampshire last April, they were already rolling out the orange cones to begin shovel-ready projects. Friday, I went back to get a fresh look at how they’re investing Recovery Act dollars to improve transportation and create good-paying jobs.
The Recovery Act provides $15 million to accelerate the expansion of the Manchester Airport Access Road by two years. The new two-mile highway will relieve congestion around this busy airport, improve access to the airport itself, and open the door to new industrial and commercial development in Londonderry.
As the economy begins to improve, the future of New Hampshire’s--and America's--economic success will depend a great deal on keeping people and goods moving freely and efficiently.
With NH Governor John Lynch and NH DOT Commissioner George Campbell
Good roads, good rails, and good airports are good for business.
There’s no question the Recovery Act has been good for New Hampshire, bringing a total of nearly 1.4 billion dollars into this state to lower taxes for the middle class, support vital services like health care and law enforcement, and revitalize essential infrastructure.
Last week, the Obama Administration announced the jobs outcome of the Recovery Act, and DOT’s ARRA spending has spurred upwards of 49,000 direct jobs nationwide.
We are putting people to work who were on unemployment earlier this year, and many more jobs are in the making in New Hampshire and across America as Recovery Act investment continues.
As New Hampshire State Senator Lou D'Allesandro said:“It has definitely had a dramatic impact in holding the line. Where would we be without it?”
And we are not resting. Working together, we’re going to revitalize our economy, save as many jobs as we can, and make long-term investments in the kind of infrastructure that the people of New Hampshire--and the rest of this nation--need and deserve.
The ARRA is the best thing we have had to stimulate the economy since Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal in the 1930s, except the ARRA is working better than the New Deal did. 10 years from now, history will look back kindly on the ARRA. Best wishes, Michael E. Bailey.
Posted by: Michael E. Bailey | November 04, 2009 at 12:36 AM