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American Recovery and Reinvestment ActAmerican Recovery and Reinvestment Act
Recovery Projects Near You
Use our interactive map to see where NCDOT is using its economic recovery funding.
NCDOT’s Communications Office maintains an archive of news releases detailing the department’s ARRA activities and operations.
NCDOT has collected employment data for all active recovery projects since March 2009. The link below provides a month-by-month total of workers employed by recovery projects to date, as well as the hours worked and payroll for each project. Click here for the ARRA Employment Data.
After President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law Feb. 17, 2009, NCDOT learned it would receive $838 million in federal funding - $735 million for highway and bridge improvements and $103 million for transit. The legislation requires states to obligate the first half of funding within 120 days of receipt, and the remaining half to projects within a year.
The overarching goal of the ARRA is to create and sustain jobs for a wide range of industry partners throughout the state, meaning the projects ultimately selected must be diverse in size, type and geography.
Highway and Bridge Projects
- As of November 1, 2010, NCDOT had advertised 435 contracts representing $696,785,228 in ARRA funding. Of these, 433 contracts representing $694,385,228 have been awarded and 423 representing $672,857,825 are underway. Approximately 306 of the 435 contracts advertised for bid, representing $282,353,935, were anticipated to be complete by November 1, 2010.
- For FY 2009-10, bids came in about 13.9 percent lower than estimated, allowing NCDOT to stretch funds further. Being proactive, additional projects have been programmed that may be funded because of lower than expected costs.
- For a complete list of highway and bridge projects identified to date, click here.
- For more information on when specific projects will be let, visit our Project Letting page.
I-85 Corridor Improvement Project
North Carolina was also awarded a separate $10 million grant through USDOT’s Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program to help fund the first phase of the I-85 Corridor Improvement Project on the Davidson/Rowan County line, which includes replacement of the I-85 Yadkin River Bridge. For more information, visit the I-85 Corridor Improvement Project website.
Transit Projects
- Of the $103 million in transit funding NCDOT received, $70.5 million was distributed to 17 urbanized areas and the remainder was distributed to rural areas.
- Another $5.1 million in funds were identified for transit instead of highway use by two Metropolitan Planning Organizations -- Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro and Capital Area (Raleigh). The money will enable these systems to increase their level of customer service and safety, construct maintenance and administrative transit facilities, and purchase buses, including hybrid electric buses.
- All of the available ARRA funds for both urbanized and rural areas were obligated in grants by Sept. 30, 2010, as required by the Act.
For a complete list of projects identified to date, click on Rural and Urban.
Recovery Project Selection Process
- In an effort to be proactive, NCDOT began working to identify candidate projects in November 2008.
- Most projects have already been approved as part of Statewide Transportation Improvement Program. Amendments are being made to the STIP and Metropolitan TIPs as needed.
- Project sources include:
- Potential deferred six-month let list;
- Out year and unfunded STIP projects; and
- Division-managed projects (including safety, mobility and infrastructure deficiencies);
- The criteria used to select projects includes:
- Could be obligated within 120 days of bill signing;
- Could reasonably meet three-year project completion;
- Role in meeting the department’s mission and goals of safety, mobility and infrastructure health;
- Equity formula distribution; and
- Priority was given to economically distressed areas.
- After looking at these factors, the list was evaluated for:
- Ability to sustain and create jobs for a wide range of industry partners throughout the state, and
- Diversity in size, type and geography.
- NCDOT collaborated with metro and rural planning organizations and industry partners to determine priorities in each area.
- The majority of the projects had already been delayed due to lack of funding.
ARRA rail funding was distributed by the Federal Railroad Administration through a competitive discretionary grant process.
NCDOT was awarded $545 million of the available $8 billion to fund 27 projects in 11 counties for track improvements necessary to progress the Southeast High Speed Rail corridor, which will ultimately run between Charlotte and Washington, D.C.
- Initial $20.3 million will go toward refurbishing passenger coaches and locomotives to help support the recent addition of a mid-day service on the Piedmont route between Raleigh and Charlotte and the future launch of a fourth daily service between the two cities as early as 2012.
- $43.4 million will be spent on improvements to better accommodate passengers at the nine stations on the SEHSR corridor between Raleigh and Charlotte.
Other planned improvements include adding double track and passing sidings, closing at-grade crossings and building bridges.
NCDOT worked with the North Carolina Railroad Company, Norfolk Southern Railway, CSX Transportation and Amtrak to complete the successful applications. The projects are expected to create or maintain a total of 4,800 private sector jobs in North Carolina and provide environmental and energy benefits through reduced congestion and improved air quality.
Projects will be progressed under cooperative agreements with the Federal Railroad Administration, which are under development. Project expenses incurred between 2-17-09 and 9-30-2017 are eligible for funding under these grants. Additional work will be advertised once cooperative agreements have been signed.
Since USDOT designated Charlotte to Washington, D.C. as a high-speed rail corridor in 1992, NCDOT has invested more than $300 million in the state’s intercity passenger rail service to pave the way for high-speed service.
The following links contain information regarding the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and transportation infrastructure improvements: