Shovel Ready Projects
Commentary, ITS in the news Comments
With the news yesterday that the House of Representatives passed President Obama’s $825 Billion dollar stimulus package, states are starting to think of ways in which they can spend that money. While a large portion of the package designed to help bail out the worsening economy slated for tax cuts, a substantial portion will still be devoted to infrastructure upgrades with a goal of bringing badly needed jobs in a time when unemployment figures are heading towards double digits. These funds are targeted for what are being called ‘Shovel Ready Projects’ meaning that the projects have already gone through the planning and design phase and are just awaiting the cash to get started. Among these projects are likely to be a multitude to include intelligent transportation systems (ITS) due to their ability for quick implementation which creates new jobs and can help keep small businesses alive.
While the Bill still has to pass through the Senate before arriving on Obama’s desk, Obama is reaching for bipartisan support in order to hopefully pass the bill into law by mid February. In the mean time, states are getting ready for the funds by making sure they have projects ready to go.
daniel @ January 29, 2009