Gov. Bill Ritter has certified the first round of transportation funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, signing off on $145 million worth of projects in Colorado that will create jobs, improve safety and relieve congestion.
In a letter late yesterday to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Gov. Ritter certified that 18 projects are shovel-ready (see attached PDF for the list of projects). Under terms of the recovery act, states must obligate up to 50 percent of the majority of their transportation allotments within 120 days.
In Colorado, that means committing at least half of $280 million to projects within 120 days. The state will easily achieve that benchmark, and Gov. Ritter will be certifying additional projects within the coming weeks as more projects become ready. The Colorado Department of Transportation plans to begin advertising projects for contractor bidding next week.
"We're working quickly to do what the people of Colorado want us to do with these recovery dollars: create jobs, strengthen our economy and rebuild our infrastructure," Gov. Ritter said. "These projects will get shovels in the ground as soon as possible while also increasing safety, benefiting local communities and improving traffic flow.
"As we rebuild our highways, we also are bringing an unprecedented level of oversight, accountability and transparency," Gov. Ritter said. "The awarding of contracts must be fair and impartial, and we will ensure these projects are done right, within budget and on time."
Gov. Ritter has established an accountability board and a website, www.colorado.gov/recovery, to oversee recovery investments in Colorado. "This is the public's money and people have a right to monitor where it's going and how it's being spent," Gov. Ritter said.
