Vice President Biden, champion of the Recovery Act,announces 10,000th ARRA project underway

Last week, while visiting Durham, NC, Vice President Joe Biden announced that work on the nearby Sanford Bypass has begun. This makes the bypass the 10,000th project of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to get underway.

Now the Vice President has been an enthusiastic champion of the Obama Administration's stimulus program and an outspoken advocate for America's middle class. DOT is enormously grateful for his active support of our Recovery Act efforts over the last 13 months.

And we're not done creating jobs and renewing America's infrastructure. Not by a long shot. As the Vice President noted:

"The 10,000 transportation projects under way are already helping put us on the road to economic recovery, but there is even more to come. This spring Recovery Act projects will pick up the pace across the country, providing even more jobs improving America’s roads, highways and bridges.”

And every new project underway this spring means more and more workers back on the job, paying their rent or mortgage, feeding their families.

In North Carolina, the new bypass will reduce congestion on US 421, divert commercial truck traffic away from downtown Sanford, and allow Sanford-bound travelers easier access to local businesses.

That's all good news.

But even more good news is that the contractor, DHG Industries, says it will hire 45 employees to work on the 2.3 mile stretch of roadway. DHG said it also plans to add 25 employees to work on another Recovery Act project, widening US 401 in Wake County, NC. In response to this burst of stimulus-generated activity, DHG operations manager Don Tutterow said:

"There's no doubt about it that projects funded by the Recovery Act have helped our company retain staff and even grow in what is a tough time for the construction industry."

North Carolina Transportation Secretary Gene Conti agrees:

"We are honored to be a part of this important national milestone. The Recovery Act has provided much-needed jobs for North Carolinians and allowed us to move forward with critical improvements to the state's transportation system."

Well, Gene, DOT is equally honored to support North Carolina's economic recovery and to partner with you on critical transportation improvements like the Sanford Bypass.

Comments

[Michael E. Bailey]

The ARRA has been the thing that kept us from a 1929 type depression. It is working and people are working because of it. Millions that would otherwise be laid off have jobs and because they do they can buy more that creates still more jobs. This is how the trickle down theory should work. Good roads also promote better, safer transit. And transit is important to get people to and from work. We need good transit to ensure the success of the Clean Air Act. Also, the California Legisature passed and the Governor signed last year the Employment First Act to create more community based supported employment jobs for disabled persons and make a major cut to the 85% state unemployment rate for the disabled community and to reduce chronic underemployment by moving as many people as possible from workshops into supported employment. But for this policy to be successful it will need the foundation of a good transit system since very few disabled persons can drive. Best wishes, Michael E. Bailey.