More stimulus funding coming for local roads

More stimulus funding coming for local roads
By Reporter Staff/
Posted: 05/05/2009

On the heels of his promise to see that federal stimulus money is spent on transportation projects up and down the state, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced Monday that more funding is coming for 80 projects in the state - including more for Solano County road work.

Focused on pumping American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding into the California economy as quickly and effectively as possible, Schwarzenegger said more than $1 billion in Recovery Act funding has now been obligated.

"The federal government gave us 120 days to act and we did it in less than 60 because of advance planning and determination to pump this funding into the economy as quickly and effectively as possible," said Schwarzenegger in a press release. "Californians can rest assured that we are working around the clock, meeting federal deadlines and creating jobs in California through the Recovery Act."

Last week, the Governor announced the groundbreaking of a $13.3 million Interstate 80 pavement rehabilitation project in Fairfield, the first Recovery Act to break ground on construction in the state and is estimated to create over 200 jobs in the construction industry.

With Monday's announcement, came news that another $2 million has been obligated in Solano County toward rehabilitating local road systems including Allendale Road, Cantelow Road and various other local projects.

Overseen by the California Recovery Task Force and implemented through the state Department of Transportation, California will receive a total of nearly $2.6 billion from the Recovery Act for highways and local streets and $1 billion for transit projects through the federal government's implementation of the Recovery Act. Discretionary programs could also add another $300 million in funding, and California expects to be very competitive in securing a major share of $8 billion set aside nationally for high-speed and intercity passenger rail.