President Obama, Vice President Biden and Other Administration Officials to Highlight Surge in Recovery Act Infrastructure Projects This Summer

Vice President Joe Biden today delivered a report, “Summer of Recovery: Project Activity Increases in Summer 2010,” to the President detailing the surge in Recovery Act infrastructure projects that will be underway this summer – and the jobs those projects will create into the fall and through the end of 2010.

The White House reports that the Summer of 2010 is "poised to be the most active Recovery Act season yet, with tens of thousands of projects underway across the country that will help to create jobs for American workers and economic growth for businesses, large and small." Highlighing that thousands of road, bridge, water and other infrastructure projects will breaking ground this summer.

Biden says the American people will get to see first-hand the Recovery Act dollars being put to work in their communities making long-overdue infrastructure improvements, creating new opportunities for local economic growth and supporting well-paid jobs.

While most of us aren't in the construction, or clean water industries, or live in the areas mentioned, the report, outlines where the jobs will be 2010, as created by the Recovery Act.

Highway Projects

· There will be six times as many highway projects underway in July 2010 as in July 2009 – projects will surge from 1,750 last summer to over 10,700 this summer.

· While last summer about 9,185 miles of highway started being improved, this summer 29,244 miles will start being improved – that’s the equivalent of ten cross-country road trips on improved highways.

· States across the country will see an increase in highway projects this summer: Colorado: This summer there will be 90 highway projects underway versus 23 last summer; Michigan: This summer there will be 646 highway projects underway versus 21 last summer; California: This summer there will be 450 highway projects underway versus 9 last summer.

Clean and Drinking Water

· This summer 2,828 clean and drinking water projects will be underway versus 129 last summer – more than 20 times as many.

· States across the country will see an increase in clean and drinking water projects this summer: Michigan: This summer there will be 91 active clean and drinking water projects versus 24 last summer; Ohio: This summer there will be 205 active clean and drinking water projects versus 42 last summer; Massachusetts: This summer there will be 111 active clean and drinking water projects versus 45 last summer.

National Parks

· This July, there will be 799 projects underway at our national parks versus 101 last July – nearly 8 times as many this summer.

· This July, there will be 1,711 public lands projects underway versus 106 last July – 16 times as many this summer.

Home Weatherization

· This summer, 82,000 homes will be weatherized versus 3,000 last summer – 27 times as many homes this summer as last.

· States across the country will see an increase in the number of homes weatherized this summer: California: This summer there will be 5,887 homes weatherized versus 0 last summer; Michigan: This summer there will be 5,163 homes weatherized versus 106 last summer; Massachusetts: This summer there will be 2,360 homes weatherized versus 111 last summer; Ohio: This summer there will be 4,200 homes weatherized versus 2,044 last summer.

The report also cites that the job impact of the Recovery Act will be continue to climb through the summer and into the fall, eventually hitting the original target of 3.5 million jobs by the end of 2010.

President Obama plans to visit Columbus, Ohio on Friday, June 18 where he will mark the first of many significant Recovery Act milestones.

By year's end the Obama Administration expects nearly 3.5 million newly created jobs.

Hopefully, we'll see these Recovery Act jobs to hit our area before then. The employment rate in the DC metro area is still at an all time high of nearly 9%.

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