The Patrick Administration announced that four additional "shovel-ready" projects are being advertised for bid using federal highway stimulus funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. . The projects with a total value of $12.5 million include:
Barnstable, Route 6A resurfacing
Concord, Route 2 resurfacing
New Ashford-Lanesborough, Route 7 resurfacing
Northfield, Scenic Byway safety improvements on Route 10/63
Massachusetts has received the authority from the federal government to spend a total of $437.9 million on highway projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. At least $153.2 million will be committed to “shovel-ready” projects that will be advertised by June 27, 2009.
Advertised Highway projects are now available for viewing on the Executive Office of Transportation's website.
Visit here to learn more about Governor Patrick's Recovery and Reinvestment Plan.
I would like to suggest an alternative to hiring outside contractors to manage, and sub-contract out, these major transportation projects. For years, the State Government has held the mantra that privatizing projects like this will save money for taxpayers in the long run. What we have found, for example in the Big Dig, was that the opposite was true. Projects were fraught with cost over-runs and shoddy construction practices. I suggest that instead of hiring outside contractors (perhaps even from out-of-state) that we deliver the money to the State and Local DPW departments and let them do the work they were hired for in the first place. Let them get back to paving roads and overseeing construction projects instead of painting road signs and picking up trash. With the influx of funding these departments can buy new heavy equipment which is desperately needed as well as hire local citizens to work on these projects. If you put these contacts out to bid there is nothing stopping a contractor from bringing in their own workers from Maine or Michigan for that matter!
Let’s keep the funding, the projects and the jobs local!
Posted by: Jeff Krumrine - Newburyport | March 25, 2009 at 02:18 PM