PMFORUM Breaking News
Breaking News in the Project Management World
Saturday, March 20, 2010
10,000 Recovery Act Transportation Projects Now Under Way across USA
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden announced on 18 March that 10,000
transportation projects are now under way in all 50 U.S. states and the
District of Columbia thanks to the American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act (ARRA). Projects are considered under way when a contractor has
been hired, the project has received official notice to proceed, and
work has begun. This milestone comes just over a year after the
Recovery Act was signed into law in the United States and as the spring
construction season is beginning in many parts of the country.
The
Vice President (pictured at right) made the announcement as part of a
visit to North Carolina - the state where the 10,000th project, the
Sanford Bypass, will break ground. The contractor, DHG Infrastructure,
says they are hiring more than 45 employees to work on the project. The
$26 million project, which was accelerated by the Recovery Act, will
redirect commercial truck traffic away from the heart of the city of
Sanford, relieving congestion and maintenance problems, and increasing
access for businesses to relocate and expand in the area.
"The 10,000 transportation projects under way are already helping put us on the road to economic recovery, but there is even more to come," said Vice President Biden. "This spring, Recovery Act projects will pick up the pace across the country, providing even more jobs improving America's roads, highways and bridges."
According to the US Department of Transportation (DoT), over the last year the Recovery Act has improved more than 33,000 miles of pavement across the United States; helped purchase nearly 12,000 buses, vans and rail vehicles; helped construct or renovate more than 850 transit facilities and provided more than $620 million in preventive maintenance. This helped save and create jobs, and maintained and enhanced the nation's transportation network. In addition to the 10,000 projects already under way, construction activity is expected to ramp up even further in the next few months as temperatures warm and new projects break ground.
"Every
new Recovery Act project means workers back on the job, paying their
rent or mortgage, putting food on the table for their families," said
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "These 10,000 projects are
strengthening our economy and creating jobs right now, and there are
more projects still to come this spring."
During the first week of March 2010, the U.S. DoT successfully met an aggressive deadline to "obligate" - or commit funds to specific projects - 100 percent of their Recovery Act highway and transit formula dollars. That important milestone means that for every Recovery Act project, contracts can be bid, workers can be hired and construction can begin on projects that create jobs and drive economic growth.
In addition to the Sanford Bypass Project, some other major Recovery Act-funded projects under construction include:
Source: News Release from US Department of Transportation, 18 March 2010
Editor's note: It would be interesting to learn how many of these 10,000 projects are being managed according to modern, professional, project management best practices and standards and/or qualified project managers (and PM teams). How many state and local agencies require certified project managers be on their contractor teams? How many of these projects are already in trouble because of poor performance or weak project management? Unfortunately, the rush to spend money often leads to inadequate planning, contracting with unqualified contractors, and the use of inexperienced project managers. We hope this is not the case on these important transportation infrastructure projects around the USA, and elsewhere in the world where projects are being funded to stimulate economies and to create jobs.
"The 10,000 transportation projects under way are already helping put us on the road to economic recovery, but there is even more to come," said Vice President Biden. "This spring, Recovery Act projects will pick up the pace across the country, providing even more jobs improving America's roads, highways and bridges."
According to the US Department of Transportation (DoT), over the last year the Recovery Act has improved more than 33,000 miles of pavement across the United States; helped purchase nearly 12,000 buses, vans and rail vehicles; helped construct or renovate more than 850 transit facilities and provided more than $620 million in preventive maintenance. This helped save and create jobs, and maintained and enhanced the nation's transportation network. In addition to the 10,000 projects already under way, construction activity is expected to ramp up even further in the next few months as temperatures warm and new projects break ground.
During the first week of March 2010, the U.S. DoT successfully met an aggressive deadline to "obligate" - or commit funds to specific projects - 100 percent of their Recovery Act highway and transit formula dollars. That important milestone means that for every Recovery Act project, contracts can be bid, workers can be hired and construction can begin on projects that create jobs and drive economic growth.
In addition to the Sanford Bypass Project, some other major Recovery Act-funded projects under construction include:
- I-4/Selmon Expressway in Tampa, Florida. Because of $105 million in
Recovery Act funds, construction began earlier this month on the $653
million I-4/Selmon Expressway Crosstown Connector in Tampa. The project
will provide direct access for the more than 12,000 commercial trucks
that travel through downtown to and from the Port of Tampa every day.
- DART Orange Line in Dallas, Texas. Recovery Act funds totaling $61.2
million are helping Dallas Area Rapid Transit construct the 14-mile
Orange Line, which will eventually link Downtown Dallas and the
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.
- Nelsonville Bypass in
Southeast Ohio. Ohio is constructing a new, 8.5 mile, four-lane highway
to divert freight traffic from U.S. 33, which bottlenecks in the town
of Nelsonville. Recovery Act funds totaling $138 million are helping
fund this final upgrade of the U.S. 33 corridor in southeast Ohio that
will take traffic off local roads, which carry 1,700 trucks a day on
one of the busiest truck routes in the state.
- Merritt Parkway,
near Fairfield, Connecticut. Recovery Act funds in the amount of $67
million are improving safety for the estimated 60,000 daily drivers who
use the Merritt Parkway by widening shoulders and installing or
updating guard rails along 9.3 miles of one of the East Coast's most
congested commuter routes.
- South Westnedge Avenue Interchange on I-94 near Kalamazoo, Michigan. Last fall, the Recovery Act fully funded this $47.7 million project to reconstruct the interchange and ease traffic congestion along this key Midwest corridor that serves an estimated 87,000 drivers daily. One additional lane will be added in each direction to widen the road from four lanes to six, allowing cars and trucks to move through Kalamazoo more safely and easily.
Source: News Release from US Department of Transportation, 18 March 2010
Editor's note: It would be interesting to learn how many of these 10,000 projects are being managed according to modern, professional, project management best practices and standards and/or qualified project managers (and PM teams). How many state and local agencies require certified project managers be on their contractor teams? How many of these projects are already in trouble because of poor performance or weak project management? Unfortunately, the rush to spend money often leads to inadequate planning, contracting with unqualified contractors, and the use of inexperienced project managers. We hope this is not the case on these important transportation infrastructure projects around the USA, and elsewhere in the world where projects are being funded to stimulate economies and to create jobs.