Confirms state will seek Yadkin Bridge fundsBURLINGTON (AP) ó Gov. Beverly Perdue said Tuesday that 70 highway and bridge projects will be built with the first $466 million of federal transportation stimulus money heading to North Carolina.
From widening a road to benefit the Global TransPark in Lenoir County to replacing a bridge in Cherokee County, Perdue said transportation officials believe the projects could generate 14,000 jobs.
As much as $93 million in the projects should be open to bidding next month, a state Department of Transportation official said. Others will follow.
“I’m here because I wanted North Carolina to be one of the first states in America to begin putting people back to work,” Perdue said at an Interstate 40/85 rest stop in Alamance County.
Department of Transportation Secretary Gene Conti said the $10 million resurfacing project along 8 miles of highway near the rest stop will help improve commerce along the heavily trafficked corridor. He said the project should create 300 jobs and run through November 2010.
The project is among those receiving the first round of money from at least $838 million in transportation-related funds coming to North Carolina as part of the $787 billion federal stimulus package. The projects were first mainly because they can be under contract by June, Perdue said.
The governor said details about the next round of road and bridge projects ó including many larger projects in the state’s metropolitan areas that will take longer to start ó would be included on a list released by early April.
“My administration is working closely with local communities to determine which projects can be ready most quickly and deliver the greatest benefit,” Perdue said.
As the Post previously reported in a Feb. 19 story, Perdue confirmed the state will apply for discretionary funds from the stimulus package to help pay for a $300 million replacement of the Yadkin River bridge on Interstate 85.
Among the priciest projects announced Tuesday was a $64.3 million road and bridge replacement on Crescent Road in Lenoir County that will complete interstate-grade road access between U.S. 70 and the Global TransPark, DOT spokesman Ernie Seneca said. The project could begin construction as early as July, he said.
Another $63.4 million will be spent on extending the Interstate 295 loop project around Fayetteville, northwest of the city’s center.
The federal stimulus bill requires the state to obligate half of the transportation money within 120 days of receiving it. The remaining projects must be obligated within a year, and Perdue asked for patience from those who might complain about how much funding was sent to their area.
“Anybody who’s fussing needs to give us a shot,” she said.
North Carolina is expected to receive about $6.1 billion from the stimulus project. The Perdue administration believes it can tap into $3.7 billion of it through mid-2011 to narrow the state’s budget shortfall.
A list of the first batch of state DOT stimulus projects is available on the Web at: http://tinyurl.com/b4ah6c