WASHINGTON, March 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- There are currently 294 American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA)-financed highway construction projects underway or completed in North Carolina involving $661.4 million in funds, according to data released today by the Washington, D.C.-based American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). The projects underway or completed have supported or are supporting 18,403 jobs in North Carolina that would otherwise not exist, says ARTBA Vice President of Economics & Research Dr. Bill Buechner.

ARRA, signed into law on February 17, 2009, provided $48 billion for transportation improvements over two years, including $27.5 billion for highway, bridge and related construction projects nationwide. The law is having significant impacts on the transportation construction industry in all 50 states.

ARRA provided $735.5 million to North Carolina for highway, bridge and related improvements. This one-time bonus added more than 79 percent to North Carolina's regular federal highway funds under the current federal surface transportation law - Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) - bringing the state's total federal highway funding in 2009 to a record $1.67 billion.

According to Buechner, a Harvard-trained economist, another 79 projects have been identified and are slated to be under construction shortly.
The following shows the number of ARRA-financed highway projects and amount obligated in each North Carolina congressional district.

  Congressional District  Number of projects   Amount Obligated
  ----------------------  ------------------   ----------------
      1                          48               $50,098,874
     ---                        ---               -----------
      2                          27               $50,236,497
     ---                        ---               -----------
      3                           7               $17,927,167
     ---                        ---               -----------
      4                          23               $31,519,855
     ---                        ---               -----------
      5                          35               $93,908,694
     ---                        ---               -----------
      6                          11               $11,979,782
     ---                        ---               -----------
      7                           9               $35,725,696
     ---                        ---               -----------
     8-9                         16               $35,762,779
     ---                        ---               -----------
     10                           7               $15,430,369
     ---                        ---               -----------
     11                          45               $60,987,902
     ---                        ---               -----------
     13                           1                $1,674,973
     ---                        ---                ----------
  Multidistrict/Statewide       144              $305,432,351
  -----------------------       ---              ------------

A full report can be obtained by contacting ARTBA's Jeff Solsby at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 202-289-4434.
For 108 years, ARTBA has represented the U.S. transportation design and construction industry before Congress, the White House, federal agencies, news media and general public.