City's road stimulus share nears $3 million

Mar 4, 2010 — High Point Enterprise

Paul Johnson

Mar. 4, 2010 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- TRIAD -- Federal stimulus highway money totals about $35 million for a three-county area around High Point, including at least $2.8 million for road projects in the city itself during the past year.

The White House, through the office of Vice President Joe Biden, provided an update this week on highway project allocations to the states through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. A total of $26.6 billion in stimulus funding has been committed to highway projects across the country, including $730.4 million in North Carolina.

Of the 381 stimulus projects funded in North Carolina, 304 are under way, according to the White House. The highway project appropriations include more than $4 million in Davidson County, more than $24 million in Guilford County and $6.4 million in Randolph County, according to the N.C. Office of Recovery and Reinvestment. Davidson County also has benefited from funding for projects in multiple counties bordering it that total nearly $5 million.

The direct stimulus funding to the city of High Point involves four projects. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act supports the realignment

of the intersection of Deep River Road and Eastchester Drive, improvements to Burton Avenue, upgrades to Clinard Farms Road and an environmental study on the replacement of the interchange of Eastchester and U.S. 311, according to the city of High Point Department of Transportation.

The city and region have benefited from other stimulus projects funded through the High Point Metropolitan Planning Organization, a regional transportation group, for the Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation, Guilford County and Davidson County. The city also has benefited from N.C. Department of Transportation resurfacing projects, such as repaving Lexington Avenue from Main Street to Montlieu Avenue, said city Transportation Director Mark McDonald.

The stimulus is the main source of funding providing a lifeline to the construction industry, a trade group reports.

"The stimulus is one of the very few bright spots the construction industry experienced last year and is one of the few hopes keeping it going in 2010," said Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America.

Simonson said stimulus highway projects initiated during the past 12 months have saved or created nearly 280,000 direct construction jobs.

pjohnson@hpe.com -- 888-3528

Newstex ID: KRTB-0090-42560186