An estimated $12.2 billion in federal stimulus funding should help Florida shore up some of the holes in the state budget and put thousands of Floridians to work. The money will mostly fund transportation projects but is expected to do little for the buildings segment of the industry. Photo: Office of Gov. Charlie Crist Florida Gov. Charlie Crist broke with the Republican Party and promoted the adoption of the American Recovery and Reinvest Act of 2009. He�s shown here signing a document unrelated to the stimulus. Related Links: View all economic stimulus headlines Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) broke with
Despite having let nearly all of the projects in its current $3.5 billion capital improvements program, Miami-Dade County Public Schools still has a backlog of needs that could be addressed through federal stimulus funding. “We still have hundreds of millions of dollars in ‘shovel-ready’ mode which we now have on hold due to reduced projected revenues,” Victor Alonso, design officer with MDCPS said in a recent email. To date, Alonso reports that the district has awarded approximately 90% of the $3.5 billion Capital Work Plan that was initiated in 2004-2005. Among the projects funded by that program are a $74
In Georgia, transportation contractors have been feeling the pinch as the state DOT�s Fast Forward bonding program winds down. The state�s $3.4-billion wish list in anticipation of an economic stimulus program could brighten their outlooks somewhat. It includes more than $2.2 billion in state roadway contracts, including those for maintenance. Related Links: Georgia Projects Questions Swirl On Stimulus Plan �Ready to Go� May Be The Stimulus Ticket Transit received considerable attention from the state Dept. of Transportation when assembling the list. The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority has about $1.1 billion in contracts that are good-to-go, and an additional $62
Officials with the North Carolina Dept. of Transportation see an expected federal stimulus package as a welcome boost to its sagging capital program. It has projects worth a total of $5 billion that could be �shovel-ready� within 180 days. Although there was a steady stream of contracts let in 2008, by December NCDOT had started laying off workers and reevaluating project needs. Related Links: North Carolina Projects Questions Swirl On Stimulus Plan �Ready to Go� May Be The Stimulus Ticket “The North Carolina Dept. of Transportation is having to lay off temporary workers in its field offices and take other