As the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act approaches its 15-month mark, states continue to put more of the measure's transportation dollars into projects under contract.
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s latest update on stimulus-act progress, released on May 5, shows that states have signed contracts for 10,124 ARRA-funded highway and bridge projects, totaling $21.6 billion, as of March 31. The amount under contract represents 82% of the formula highway funding available under the stimulus act.
That compares with 9,302 highway and bridge projects, totaling $20.4 billion, under contract as of Feb. 28.
In transit, in the urban and rural formula grant category, contracts have been signed for projects worth $4.9 billion, or 69% of the ARRA funds allocated to that account. Some of that funding goes for purchases of buses and some for infrastructure.
In addition, $628 million, or 85% of the ARRA funds for fixed-guideway transit projects was under contract by March 31.
At Amtrak, as of April 14, work had begun on projects totaling $1.2 billion or 95% of the railroad’s ARRA funds.
At airports, 676 ARRA-financed projects, totaling $1.2 billion, were completed or under way. That amount equals 95% of the stimulus act funding for that category.
The committee also provided a status report on non-transportation programs under its jurisdiction. It said that 100% of the $3.8 billion available for ARRA Clean Water State Revolving Fund projects is under contract,
At the General Services Administration, contracts have been awarded for 402 ARRA federal buildings projects, totaling $4 billion, or 72% of the $5.55 billion that the recovery act provided to the agency.
