Gov. Ritter Welcomes Summer Recovery Act Work

Press Release

Gov. Bill Ritter today praised the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for making the summer of 2010 a peak time for infrastructure projects across Colorado. This summer, 112 highway projects will be under construction, which is double the number from last summer. Sixty clean water and drinking water improvement projects are underway this summer, compared to zero at the same time last year. And the number of low-income homes receiving free weatherization upgrades has exceeded 5,000 and will continue to rise this summer across the state.

"This Summer of Recovery is bringing jobs, economic impact and long-term benefits to communities across Colorado," Gov. Ritter said. "The Recovery Act is helping more than 3 million Coloradans through safety net benefits and programs that are creating or saving thousands of jobs while laying the foundation for a brighter future for our state."

The sharp increase in Recovery Act-funded projects is also being seen across the nation. Vice President Joe Biden said Thursday that 10,000 highway projects will be under construction nationwide this summer, representing a six-fold jump from last summer. The Vice President also noted that 3,000 clean water and drinking water improvement projects will be underway this summer, a 30-fold jump from last summer.

Here are some examples of Recovery Act-funded projects that will be underway this summer in Colorado:

* In El Paso County, the Recovery Act is creating jobs through a project that will retrofit 200 school buses to reduce harmful diesel emissions.
* In the town of Siebert on the eastern plains, the Recovery Act is funding a drinking water improvement project that would not have happened without these funds.
* In Denver, the Recovery Act is paying to widen I-25 and replace a dilapidated bridge at the Alameda interchange, where 200,000 vehicles travel each day. The contractor for this $35 million project is Jalisco International, a disadvantaged business enterprise who along with its more than 40 subcontractors expects to employ 500 people over the life of the project. The Recovery Act is helping Jalisco keep almost one-third of its workforce.
* In the town of Clifton on the Western Slope, the Recovery Act is paying to complete the cleanup of a former underground petroleum fuel storage site that presents a health threat to the community.
* In Denver, the Recovery Act is paying for the construction of more affordable housing units for low income individuals and the homeless. The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless is building a new low-income apartment building will provide 50 formerly homeless individuals or families a place to live on West Colfax. On Alameda, another development will house 50 low-income families.

Colorado expects to receive at least $7.1 billion in Recovery Act funds over the life of the Act. More information is available at www.colorado.gov/recovery.

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