If Congress passes the American Jobs Act, the projects we could see breaking ground across the country will make life easier for commuters, create opportunities for businesses, and get workers back on the job.
Yesterday, Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez visited a project that will do exactly that. He joined Alabama Governor Robert Bentley and other state and local officials to kick off construction on the Montgomery Outer Loop, a roadway that will relieve congestion and improve traffic and freight movement throughout the area.
Alabama Governor Robert Bentley (left) and FHWA Administrator Victor Mendez (2nd from left)
join Montgomery-area mayors to launch Outer Loop road construction
This project will connect I-85 in east Montgomery to an interchange at SR 110. The plan includes on and off ramp reconstruction and construction of interchange bridges, road bridges, and a double bridge over SR-110. That means a lot of construction workers will have job sites to go to each day.
In fact, R.R. Dawson Construction, the project's contractor is hiring back 45 employees for this road work. All told, they expect the work to create 155 jobs. And that's before their projected purchases of supplies and equipment.
When the Outer Loop is complete, it will make travel safer and less congested for commuters and tourists in the Montgomery area as well as Montgomery area residents who simply need to get somewhere--a doctor's office, a store, a local college.
It’s also going to make it easier and safer for trucks carrying parts and finished products to get around Montgomery without getting bogged down in traffic. This will help businesses in the region operate more effectively and will make greater Montgomery more attractive to new business.
Courtesy http://www.waka.com
Governor Bentley echoed this idea, saying, "Building roads in the state is very important to creating jobs. And it's not just creating jobs while the road is being built; it's creating jobs while the road is being used."
If Congress passes the American Jobs Act, we’ll upgrade 150,000 miles of road, so people all over the country can realize the benefits that Alabamans are going to see with the Outer Loop. We 're talking about creating jobs today repairing, replacing, and modernizing our roads for safer, smoother travel.
The residents of Montgomery need the Outer Loop. But across the U.S., many, many communities also need roadwork, some of them desperately. And in those communities, construction workers are standing by, fully prepared to do the job.
This country can't afford to wait any longer, and we don't need to wait any longer--we have a bill ready to go. It's time for Congress to take up, debate, and pass the American Jobs Act. It's the right way to get America working again.
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