LaHood lauds results of DOT's efforts with recovery act funds

Among other projects, ARRA funds will by the end of summer have repaired more than 30,000 miles of roads, highways and bridges, LaHood told the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure at a hearing to assess the progress of transportation and water infrastructure portion of ARRA.

“I want to assure all of you that the Recovery Act funding provided for transportation infrastructure projects is ‘out the door’ and making a difference,” LaHood told the panel. “Of the $48.1 billion provided in the Act to support transportation improvement projects, nearly $38 billion of these funds has been obligated on more than 14,800 highway, transit, aviation and shipyard projects in every State of the Union, the District of Columbia, and several of the U.S. territories.”

LaHood said over $16 billion, or about 33 percent of the funds, had already been disbursed to repay States and local authorities for project expenses.

LaHood told committee members that ARRA was also about jobs.

Citing several conversations his department had U.S. citizens, LaHood said the DOT estimated that its share of ARRA investments had generated 160,000 jobs (based on one person working for a full-year) so far, and predicted the number would grow over the course of this summer.

“That number represents the total number of jobs, including jobs created in supplier industries and in consumer goods industries when workers go out and spend their paychecks,” he said. “If we look just at what we call the ‘direct jobs’ — jobs created on the transportation job-site — we estimate that about 41,700 people are at work each and every day on Transportation Recovery Act projects.”

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