Monday, June 29, 2009
DOT 91-09
DOT Contact: Olivia Alair
(202) 527-2601 / Olivia.Alair@dot.gov
Rep. Johnson Contact: Phoebe Silag
(202) 225-8885 / Phoebe.Silag@mail.house.gov
TxDOT Contact: Kelli Petras
(512) 936-1906 / KPetras@dot.state.tx.us
Federal and State Officials Mark Texas ARRA Milestone at Recovery Act Project Site in Dallas
On Day of ARRA Deadline, Texas Recovery Efforts are Ahead of Schedule
Washington, DC – U.S. Deputy Secretary of Transportation John Porcari, Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson and Texas Department of Transportation Commissioner Fred Underwood today announced that Texas projects funded through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) are putting people to work and building a foundation for the state’s long-term economic strength.
As part of the Administration’s effort to swiftly infuse Recovery Act funds into the economy, states are required under ARRA to obligate fifty-percent of their highway funds by June 29, 2009. Texas, however, met this deadline two and a half weeks early, on June 12th. As of today’s deadline, the state has put to work $1.2 billion in highway funds – or 75 percent – of the funds required under the Act.
The officials announced Texas’s progress at a Recovery Act project site in Cedar Hill, TX, where plans to provide badly-needed safety enhancements to a dangerous intersection have been stalled for years due to a lack of funds. Thanks to ARRA, however, the $1.38 million project let in May and construction work is now underway.
“This is great news for projects like the reconstruction of FM 1382 here in Cedar Hill, which employs 19 people directly,” said Deputy Secretary Porcari. “Your good stewardship of federal recovery dollars means this busy and dangerous interchange can finally get the attention it deserves.”
“This project will remediate a poorly-designed stretch of roadway that thousands of my constituents depend for their daily commute,” Congresswoman Johnson said. “The project is putting people to work, and upon completion, will drastically improve highway safety for the driving public. I commend Secretary LaHood and his team for the outstanding job they are doing in getting funds out obligated quickly. And I appreciate the hard work TxDOT is doing to get transportation projects underway.”
"TxDOT has been busy putting Texans to work on dozens of ready-to-go mobility, preservation and maintenance projects. I am extremely proud of the hard work of our staff to reach the 50 percent goal by June 12," Commissioner Underwood said. "I know this amazing accomplishment would not have been obtained without the cooperation and input from all of our local partners, Congressional delegation and the Federal Highway Administration."
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