The waiting went on and on as anxious construction industry and state officials watched for months for glimmers of progress in Washington on a bill that they hoped would ease the recession’s tightening grip. On Feb. 17, the long wait ended as President Obama traveled to Denver and signed what he called “the most sweeping economic recovery package in our history,” the $787.2-billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. It was good news for construction, because the measure contains about $130 billion for highways, buildings and other public works. “How can you not be happy?” asks Stephen E. Sandherr, the Associated General Contractors’ CEO. “This is the most significant investment in infrastructure in my lifetime.”
As industry officials scrutinize the voluminous bill, they are looking for how much money it allocates for key programs and for details on how and when the funds will be disbursed…See the rest of the original story
Here is the part I found most applicable to your industry,
HOW THE FINAL PACKAGE STACKS UP FOR CONSTRUCTION
TRANSPORTATION [$49.3 billion]
Highways: $27.5 billion
Transit: $8.4 billion
New discretionary grant program: $1.5 billion for highways, transit, rail, seaports, other projects. U.S. Dept. of Transportation will choose which projects will be funded.
Airport Improvement Program construction grants: $1.1 billion
Rail: $9.3 billion, including $1.3 billion for Amtrak, $8 billion for high-speed rail
Coast Guard, acquisition, construction, improvements: $98 million
DEFENSE/VETERANS [$7.8 billion]
American_Crumbling_Infrastructure
VA: $1.25 billion for hospital and other medical facility construction and upgrades
DOD: $4.24 billion for “facilities sustainment, restoration and modernization,” includes energy-efficiency improvements, plus repair and modernization of DOD buildings, including medical facilities.
DOD: $2.33 billion for facilities projects, including housing, hospitals, child-care centers, other military “quality-of-life” projects.
HOUSING/HUD [$9.6 billion]
HUD Public Housing Capital Fund: $4 billion
HUD redevelopment of abandoned and foreclosed homes: $2 billion
HUD energy retrofits, “green” projects in HUD-assisted housing projects: $250 million
HUD Community Development Block Grants (housing, services, infrastructure): $1 billion
Fixing a looming problem in the Highway Trust Fund–at least for now–President Obama has signed legislation providing a $7-billion infusion for the trust fund’s highway account. The additional money, which will be transferred from the general fund, is expected to keep the account solvent through Sept. 30 or perhaps a bit longer.
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Victims of the deadly 2007 Minneapolis bridge collapse took legal steps Monday to seek punitive damages against an engineering firm that evaluated the bridge’s structural integrity before it fell.
The Senate is set to consider a bill next week that would authorize $38.5 billion for wastewater and drinking-water infrastructure over the next five years. S. 1005, the Water Infrastructure Financing Act, could come to a vote in the Senate as early as Monday, July 27.
A review of the Conference of Mayors’ report on the economic benefits of high-speed passenger rail on cities and their metropolitan areas. Is the report overly ambitious in its analysis of the potential economic benefits considering that high speed rail carries obstacles that might take years to address?
Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood requests action by the Nation’s Governors to make certifications and other assurances that the funding made available under the Recovery Act will be spent for worthy infrastructure projects. Certification is necessary to permit the timely release of funds.
Carol Metzner of CivilEngineering Central.com revisits the Minneapolis Bridge Collapse news item from two years ago and discusses what has been done as a result.
package in our history,” the $787.2-billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. It was good news for construction, because the measure contains about $130 billion for highways, buildings and other public works. “How can you not be happy?” asks Stephen E. Sandherr, the Associated General Contractors’ CEO. “This is the most significant investment in infrastructure in my lifetime.”
