RECOVERY ACT CREATING THOUSANDS OF HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION JOBS

Colorado roadway projects funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act continue to drive job creation and retention, putting more than 3,500 people to work as of the end of August. That’s more than double the number of jobs from a month earlier.

So far, the Colorado Department of Transportation has launched 37 road and bridge improvement projects funded with $191 million from the Recovery Act. Another 27 projects worth $72 million have been advertised for bids and will break ground in coming months.

“The Recovery Act is putting more and more Coloradans to work each week and injecting millions of dollars into the economy while improving our highways for the benefit of all Coloradans,” Gov. Ritter said. “These highway projects are helping to drive the state’s economic recovery, which is precisely what the Recovery Act was designed to do.”

As of Aug. 31, CDOT and local agencies have:
· Put out to bid 64 projects worth $263.5 million
· Awarded contracts for 41 projects worth $202 million
· Launched 37 projects worth $191 million
· Put 3,512 people to work on projects
· Paid $4.8 million in payroll

“CDOT staff and contractors have been working hard to quickly and efficiently get projects underway so that more Coloradans can bring home paychecks and support their families,” CDOT Executive Director Russ George said. “We’re taking advantage of Recovery Act funds to help improve the state’s network of highways and bridges – which will have lasting benefits for the entire state.”

For more information about the Recovery Act in Colorado , visit www.colorado.gov/recovery.