Road Stimulus, Part II?

Coming on the heels of the U.S. House's December passage of the Jobs for Main Street Act of 2010,  President Obama highlighted the need for Congress to pass a second round of federal stimulus funding during his State of the Union address last week.  The amounts for this new jobs proposal have varied from $75 to $100 billion, with the stated focus being road and infrastructure projects.  With many communities having taken advantage of last year's ARRA stimulus funding, "shovel-ready" projects may be in shorty supply this year if a second stimulus is adopted.  The word out of MDOT is that the time frame's being considered for this new stimulus may be even shorter than they were last year, with projects needing to be able to go to contract within 90 days.  Many communities and road agencies have already begun the process of identifying potential projects so that they are prepared should Congress pass a new stimulus.  If you haven't done so already, take this opportunity to start developing projects through your local MPO or Rural Task Force.  As the debate in Washington continues, we will work to keep you updated on new developments. Chris Hackbarth works for the Michigan Municipal League handling transportation issues.  He can be reached at 517-908-0303 or email at chackbarth@mml.org.