Arizona Stimulus Jobs Get ‘Em While They’re Hot!!!
In the coming weeks you can expect the Arizona Department of Transportation, ADOT, to put up for bid the last seven American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) stimulus projects. At this time there are 13 available to bid on – you can find them here. ADOT has already awarded half of the 41stimulus projects. It will receive an estimated $350 million in ARRA funds for highway projects around the state. Here’s the money trail…
~ Maricopa County will receive $130 million for five projects
~ Pima County will receive $46 million for eight projects
~ 13 other counties in Greater Arizona will receive $175 million for 28 projects.
The state estimates more than 6,000 construction jobs will be created or sustained through these ARRA projects. In Maricopa County, 2,180 jobs have been created as a result of five awarded projects. ADOT is also reaping some rewards. The sagging economy is actually benefitting ADOT’s purse book. Lower-than-expected bids for the 21 already-awarded projects have added up to nearly $15 million dollars in savings. That could, in turn, mean more jobs to bid on.
The economy has been especially brutal to Arizona’s construction workers. Between 2007 and 2009, Arizona’s construction industry lost 77,000 jobs. One-third of Arizona’s construction workers are unemployed. That rate is higher than any other state and dramatically higher than the national average of 21 percent construction unemployment rate.
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