US Transportation Secretary helps break ground on Washington Recovery Act project

Wednesday, 08 September 2010 02:25:03 (GMT+2)

Recovery Act dollars totaling $35 million will pay for a portion of a 10.5 mile-long freeway connecting I-90 on the south end to existing U.S. 2 and U.S. 395 on the north end.

"To put our economy back on track, we need to take actions that create jobs now and we need a transportation system that moves people and goods efficiently," said Governor Chris Gregoire.  "This project does both, reducing congestion in Spokane and putting people to work right away."

"This grant has an immediate value to our economy and the businesses and families dependent on the jobs it will create. But it is also important for the economy of our future, across the region and the state, "said Spokane Mayor Mary Verner.  "This investment in our infrastructure is a building block to our tomorrow"

The grant is part of the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program included in the Recovery Act to promote innovative, multi-modal and multi-jurisdictional transportation projects that provide significant economic and environmental benefits to an entire metropolitan area, region or the nation. 

Of the more than $26.6 billion in Recovery Act highway dollars available nationwide, Washington received nearly $492 million for highway projects, excluding TIGER grants. As of August 27, the state had funded 221 projects, with73 projects under way and 131 completed.

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