Oregon transportation officials voted Weds to spend another $100 million from the federal stimulus package - 3000 jobs created
Oregon transportation officials voted Wednesday to spend another $100 million from the federal stimulus package, boosting the number of construction jobs to be created this summer to 3,300.
Gov. Ted Kulongoski praised the vote, saying that with Oregon's unemployment reaching 10.8 percent, it's imperative for the state to act quickly "to get paychecks into the hands of workers."
Of the $100 million in projects approved by the state Transportation Commission Wednesday, about 60 percent will involve highway restoration and upkeep. The other dollars will go to rail, ports, public transit and bicycle and pedestrian paths.
Doug Tindall, deputy director for highways for ODOT, said he thinks the approved projects represent a good balance. Tindall also said President Obama and the Congress have made it clear they want the federal stimulus money to go to "shovel ready" projects that can quickly create jobs - and in many cases that means highway maintenance projects.
"There's a lot of people out of work right now. We need to get them working," he said.