Ohio awarded $36 million in bridge and highway contracts.
Ohio's department of transportation announced the awarding of $36.9 million in construction contracts funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), more commonly known as the federal stimulus plan.
The Obama administration is looking to boost the economy through federal funding of public works projects. In states like Ohio with high unemployment, officials hope to support the construction and construction equipment sectors with ARRA funds for building roads and bridges.
Ohio Department of Transportation projects should spur the creation and retention of hundreds of construction-related jobs by investing federal stimulus funds into 29 roadway and bridges projects across the state, the department said.
The state has awarded more than $83.9 million in contracts this year for work on 52 projects including interstate, local roadway and bridge modernization projects.
Contractors are creating jobs as they mobilize for these projects, as are firms that provide materials and construction equipment. Those jobs create a ripple effect in the economy through consumer expenditures resulting from wages created by this employment, the department said.
On Thursday, crews will begin work on the replacement of the Route 83 bridge near North Ridgeville in Lorain County, where 7,690 motorists travel daily to and from the state Route 10 interchange, accessing the Ohio Turnpike and Interstate 480.
