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American Recovery and Reinvestment ActAmerican Recovery and Reinvestment Act
Recovery Projects Near You
Use our interactive map to see where NCDOT is using its economic recovery funding.
- After President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law Feb. 17, 2009, NCDOT learned it would receive $838 million in federal funding - $735 million for highway and bridge improvements and $103 million for transit. The legislation requires states to obligate the first half of funding within 120 days of receipt, and the remaining half to projects within a year.
- The overarching goal of the ARRA is to create and sustain jobs for a wide range of industry partners throughout the state, meaning the projects ultimately selected must be diverse in size, type and geography.
Highway and Bridge Projects
In February 2009, NCDOT identified about 70 highway and bridge projects, totaling about $466 million, in counties across the state. On April 17, 2009, 64 additional projects, totaling about $209 million, were announced. The projects identified to date total $679 million, more than 90 percent of the $735 million in recovery money North Carolina has received for highway and bridge improvements. Additional projects will be identified over the coming months.
- For a complete list of projects identified to date, click here.
- For more information on when specific projects will be let, visit our Project Letting page.
Transit Projects
- In June 2009, Gov. Bev Perdue announced a list of 140 transit projects across the state to be funded through recovery money. These projects are expected to create or retain more than 3,200 jobs.
- $70 million will go to 21 urban transit systems for 77 projects. In addition, two metropolitan planning organizations (Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro MPO and Capital Area MPO) elected to designate $5.1 million for transit projects instead of highway and bridge projects.
- Projects in rural areas of the state total $33 million. Three projects benefit transit efforts statewide, and 63 are designated for rural transit systems/areas of the state.
For a complete list of projects identified to date, click on Non-Urban and Urban.
- In an effort to be proactive, NCDOT began working to identify candidate projects in November 2008.
- Most have already been approved as part of Statewide Transportation Improvement Program. Amendments are being made to the STIP and Metropolitan TIPs as needed.
- Project sources include:
- Potential deferred six-month let list;
- Out year and unfunded STIP projects;
- Division-managed projects (including safety, mobility and infrastructure deficiencies); and
- Input from public transportation planners and providers (MPOs, RPOs, municipal and county providers).
- Among the criteria used to select projects includes:
- Could be obligated within 120 days of bill signing; meet three-year payout;
- Role in meeting the department’s mission and goals of safety, mobility and infrastructure health;
- Equity formula distribution; and
- Priority was given to economically distressed areas.
- After looking at these factors, the list was evaluated for:
- Ability to sustain and create jobs for a wide range of industry partners throughout the state, and
- Diversity in size, type and geography.
- NCDOT collaborated with metro and rural planning organizations and industry partners to determine priorities.
- The majority of the projects had already been delayed due to lack of funding.
- North Carolina is pursuing discretionary grant money included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to use for a comprehensive improvement project on I-85 in Davidson and Rowan counties, including replacement of the narrow and outdated bridge over the Yadkin River.
- The ARRA includes $1.5 billion in supplemental surface transportation discretionary grants to be awarded to states for transportation projects. The grants will be awarded on a competitive basis and can range in size from $20 million to $300 million, with not more than 20 percent of the total money allocated to any one state.
- The project includes highway, bridge and rail upgrades and is estimated to cost more than $300 million.
To learn more about the critical need for this project, please visit NCDOT’s I-85 Corridor Improvement Project Web site.
- North Carolina is receiving $545 million in ARRA funding to further develop the Southeast High-Speed Rail Corridor, a nearly 500-mile route that will allow trains to travel between Charlotte and Washington, D.C. at top speeds of up to 90-110 miles per hour and an average speed of 86 mph. Click on the video below to watch the announcement being made during a ceremony at the newly renovated Durham train station on Jan. 28.
- The project is expected to create or maintain 4,800 private sector jobs in North Carolina and provide environmental and energy benefits through reduced congestion and improved air quality.
- Of the $545 million, $520 million will fund improvements that will enable higher track speeds along the corridor between Raleigh and Charlotte, and $25 million will fund projects to improve the reliability of existing service from Raleigh north to Virginia.
- Since USDOT designated Charlotte to Washington, D.C. as a high-speed rail corridor in 1992, NCDOT has invested more than $300 million in the state’s intercity passenger rail service to pave the way for high-speed service.
- Additional information is available at www.bytrain.org and on this rail fact sheet.
- NCDOT will continue to work with its local-level partners to develop project priorities and determine how available funding can best be used to complete needed improvements, create jobs and stimulate North Carolina’s economy.
- The department will continue seeking out other grant opportunities available as a result of the act to better the state's transportation infrastructure.
- The department will measure how well it uses the recovery funding to meet transportation goals and generate job growth on its Organizational Performance Dashboard.
The following links contain information regarding the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and transportation infrastructure improvements: