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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.
NCDOT has collected employment data for all active recovery projects since March 2009. The link below provides a month-by-month total of workers employed by recovery projects to date, as well as the hours worked and payroll for each project. Click here for the ARRA Employment Data.
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.
As of Jan. 1, 2010, the department had advertised 294 contracts representing $577,773,914 in ARRA funding. Of these, 239 have been awarded and 158 are currently under construction across the state. Approximately 48 of the 294 contracts awarded are anticipated to be complete by March 1.
Bids have been coming in about 22 percent, or $100 million, lower than estimated, allowing NCDOT to stretch funds further. Being proactive, additional projects have been programmed that may be funded because of lower than expected costs.
- 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.
Highway and Bridge Projects
- To date, 325 highway and bridge projects have been identified totaling an estimated $775 million in ARRA funds. Contracts for many of these projects will continue to be awarded until July 2010.
- Low bids have enabled the department to program more than $100 million in additional projects.
Transit Projects
- Of the $103 million in transit funding NCDOT received, $70.5 million was distributed to 17 urbanized areas.
- Another $5.1 million in funds were identified for transit instead of highway use by two Metropolitan Planning Organizations -- Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro and Capital Area (Raleigh). The money will enable these systems to increase their level of customer service and safety, construct maintenance and administrative transit facilities, and purchase buses, including hybrid electric buses.
- Ninety-two percent of the available ARRA funds for urbanized areas were obligated in grants by Sept. 1, 2009.
- To date, $24 million has been awarded for projects in rural areas by the Federal Transit Administration. These funds are administered by NCDOT.
For a complete list of projects identified to date, click on Rural and Urban.
- In an effort to be proactive, NCDOT began working to identify candidate projects in November 2008.
- Most projects 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; and
- Division-managed projects (including safety, mobility and infrastructure deficiencies);
- Among the criteria used to select projects includes:
- Could be obligated within 120 days of bill signing;
- Reasonably meet three-year project completion;
- 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 in each area.
- The majority of the projects had already been delayed due to lack of funding.
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.
The following links contain information regarding the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and transportation infrastructure improvements: