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Jun 23, 2009 9:54 pm US/Central
Slow Start For Road Projects Funded By Stimulus $$
Reporting
Jack Fink
DALLAS (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
It's been four months since we learned what North Texas' share of the stimulus money would be. In all, more than $600 million is slated for North Texas road projects, but what do we have to show for it?
Now many are asking, where are the projects, and more importantly, where are the jobs? So far, there's only one stimulus road project underway in North Texas, but another will kickoff next week.
Earnest James doesn't like the intersection of 1382 and Straus Road in Cedar Hill very much. "I think it's especially dangerous when it rains… when it's wet," he said.
James lives near the intersection and said he was glad it was sunny Monday; especially after having a close call on a recent rainy day. "My truck, right here, spun around in a circle. Luckily no one was coming," James said of the incident.
Within the next week, construction will begin to make the intersection safer. A twisting curve will be eliminated and a stop light will be added. "I think that's something that needs to be done, rapidly, before someone gets hurt," said James.
The construction will be the first road project in the Dallas area to be funded by the federal stimulus package approved by congress and President Obama back in February.
Earlier this month crews began repaving Loop 820 between Marine Creek and FM 156. That construction was the first road project in the Fort Worth area funded by the stimulus.
Next month, a number of other road projects will be going out to bid and construction on them should begin in the fall.
Some of the projects include - $250 million in stimulus money for the Dallas/Fort Worth Connector, a roadway that will connect Highway 114, Highway 121, and Interstate 635. There is $143 million set aside for intersection construction at Southwest Parkway and Interstate 20 and Southwest Parkway and US 67. More than $16 million will be used to build a deck park over the Woodall Rodgers Freeway in Dallas.
So why has it taken so long for the projects to get going? "There's a lot of different things that have to happen before you can actually turn dirt on a project, even if it's shovel ready," said Texas Department of Transportation Spokesperson Cynthia White.
According to White, bids can't go out until a project is funded and they have to be awarded before construction can even begin.
But what about the new jobs - one of the key components of the stimulus? TxDOT says it won't be tracking how many people the projects employ. "That was not a requirement for these funds. That would be quite an undertaking," said White.
It's the federal government's job to keep track of the job creation. CBS 11 News contacted the Federal Highway Administration about how many jobs will be created in North Texas, but so far haven't gotten a response. It's a question that we'll ask Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson and a U.S. transportation official next Monday, when they hold a news conference about the Cedar Hill project.
Thursday, June 25, 2009 UPDATE: TxDOT's Cynthia White called us to correct herself in the issue of tracking new jobs. She says that in fact, the agency does keep a record of how many people are employed at each road project. She says construction firms are required to notify TxDOT of the number of employees on each project.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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