Funding Transportation Projects will boost small businesses.
Press Release Summary:
According to John Horsley, Executive Director of AASHTO, if Congress wants to support small business, create thousands of jobs at home, and stimulate economy, it should invest in more than 3,000 "ready to go" highway projects that could be under contract within next 30-90 days. Analysts estimate that for every $1 billion invested in transportation projects, approximately 35 thousand jobs are created.
Original Press Release:
Funding "Ready to Go" Transportation Projects Will Boost Small Businesses and American Jobs
"If Congress wants to support small business, create thousands of jobs here at home
and stimulate the economy, it should invest in the more than 3,000 'ready to go' highway projects that could be under contract within the next 30-to-90 days." said John Horsley, Executive Director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).
Earlier this year more than 40 states and the District of Columbia responded to a survey conducted at the request of Congressional Committees. More than $18 billion worth of "ready to go" projects were identified. "Those projects are still waiting to be funded," Horsley said.
Congressional leaders are considering a second stimulus package that could pump as
much as $150 billion into the ailing U.S. economy. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said this week that Congress will hold hearings over the next month to determine the exact price tag of the plan, and "it's likely to include money for infrastructure projects."
"Funding these 'ready to go' projects offers Congress a tremendous opportunity to put
Americans to work and help cash strapped states repair and replace our crumbling
infrastructure." Horsley said.
Analysts estimate that for every $1 billion invested in transportation projects,
approximately 35 thousand jobs are created.
In addition to the highway projects, 16 states, identified by asterisk in the table below, also reported ready-to-go transit, rail, and waterways projects. Those responses indicate some 66 transit, 21 rail, and 1 waterway project that could be launched if funds were available.
State Number of Projects Dollar Amount (in millions)
Alabama 128 $671.1
Alaska 7 $92.6
*Arizona 39 $790.0
Arkansas 107 $728.3
California 28 $800.0
Colorado 52 $395.1
*Connecticut 20 $728.5
*DC 1 $50.0
Florida 5 $675.0
Georgia 32 $397.3
Hawaii 6 $42.0
Idaho 11 $174.8
*Illinois 212 $831.4
Indiana $400.0
Iowa 40 $152.0
*Kansas 126 $68.0
Kentucky 4 $200.0
Louisiana 208 $351.4
*Maine 15 $94.1
*Maryland 32 $94.6
*Massachusetts 59 $181.5
*Michigan 43 $257.0
Minnesota 30 $217.8
Mississippi 33 $176.2
*Missouri 127 $546.6
Montana 70 $116.0
Nebraska 5 $20.0
Nevada 4 $120.0
New Hampshire 11 $81.3
*New Jersey 7 $50.8
New Mexico 77 $1,400.0
*New York 40 $200.0
North Carolina 44 $231.4
North Dakota 90 $71.0
*Ohio 114 $299.3
Oklahoma 73 $146.4
Oregon 50 $251.2
*Pennsylvania 524 $1,300.0
Rhode Island 41 $102.0
South Carolina 58 $510.0
South Dakota 142 $181.0
Tennessee 74 $184.1
Texas 44 $1,800.0
Utah 84 $425.1
*Vermont 11 $62.6
Virginia 1 $101.9
West Virginia 67 $1,200.0
*Wisconsin 20 $35.0
Wyoming 55 $287.2
Total 3071 $18,291.6
Survey conducted January 2008.
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is the "Voice of Transportation" representing all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. AASHTO is a nonprofit, nonpartisan association serving as a catalyst for excellence in transportation.
