California’sLatest Gold Rush: Solar Projects
Time is running short for several dozen green-energy projects in California. Ground must be broken on them before year’s end to get federal stimulus funds worth 30% of the projects’ c...
ost. The sheer number and size of the California projects, including a dozen huge solar farms, is stressing both agencies and stakeholders. If all are built, the 49 projects seeking stimulus funding would generate 10,000 construction jobs, 2,200 operational jobs and up to $30 billion in investment, including up to $10 billion in federal stimulus dollars.
April is National Safe Digging Month
Every year, more than 200,000 underground utility line strikes occur in this country, resulting in property damage, fines, injuries and loss of life. Sadly, estimates show 37% of these strikes could have been averted simply by calling to have utility lines marked prior to digging. Click here to see some ways to stay safe while digging this month and always.
New York Suspends Hundreds of Construction Projects
According to Forbes, Gov. David Paterson is suspending hundreds of current and new construction projects because of New York’s budget woes, including a highway to Fort Drum and a major interchange on Long Island. Paterson administration officials told The Associated Press that all projects not paid for by federal economic stimulus funds will be delayed until the Legislature and the governor agree on a 2010-11 budget or emergency funding.
Work on Road to Flight 93 Memorial May Start This Summer
Visitors to the Flight 93 National Memorial should have a direct route to the crash site by the time a permanent memorial opens next year. Construction likely will begin this summer on an $8.5 million road that will carry traffic from Route 30 to the memorial in Stonycreek Township, Somerset County.
LaHood: Tolling, Public-Private Partnerships are the Future
Federal aid alone won’t pay for meaningful highway projects these days, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said during a visit to the Chicago suburbs, reports the Daily Herald. Instead, tolls and public-private partnerships in addition to government funding are the wave of the future when it comes to transportation improvements, he noted.
