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Approved Projects

• 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

In February 2009, NCDOT identified about 70 highway and bridge projects, totaling about $466 million, in counties across the state. On April 17, 2009, 64 additional projects, totaling about $209 million, were announced. The projects identified to date total $679 million, more than 90 percent of the $735 million in recovery money North Carolina has received for highway and bridge improvements. Additional projects will be identified over the coming months.

• For a complete list of projects identified to date, click here.
• For more information on when specific projects will be let, visit our Project Letting page.

Transit Projects

• In June 2009, Gov. Bev Perdue announced a list of 140 transit projects across the state to be funded through recovery money. These projects are expected to create or retain more than 3,200 jobs.
• $70 million will go to 21 urban transit systems for 77 projects. In addition, two metropolitan planning organizations (Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro MPO and Capital Area MPO) elected to designate $5.1 million for transit projects instead of highway and bridge projects.
• Projects in rural areas of the state total $33 million. Three projects benefit transit efforts statewide, and 63 are designated for rural transit systems/areas of the state.

For a complete list of projects identified to date, click on Non-Urban and Urban.

Recovery Project Selection Process

• In an effort to be proactive, NCDOT began working to identify candidate projects in November 2008.
• Most 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;
  • Division-managed projects (including safety, mobility and infrastructure deficiencies); and
  • Input from public transportation planners and providers (MPOs, RPOs, municipal and county providers).
• Among the criteria used to select projects includes:
  • Could be obligated within 120 days of bill signing; meet three-year payout;
  • 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.
• The majority of the projects had already been delayed due to lack of funding.

I-85 Corridor Improvement Project and Yadkin River Bridge Replacement

• North Carolina is pursuing discretionary grant money included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to use for a comprehensive improvement project on I-85 in Davidson and Rowan counties, including replacement of the narrow and outdated bridge over the Yadkin River.
• The ARRA includes $1.5 billion in supplemental surface transportation discretionary grants to be awarded to states for transportation projects. The grants will be awarded on a competitive basis and can range in size from $20 million to $300 million, with not more than 20 percent of the total money allocated to any one state.
• The project includes highway, bridge and rail upgrades and is estimated to cost more than $300 million.

To learn more about the critical need for this project, please visit NCDOT’s I-85 Corridor Improvement Project Web site.

Southeast High-Speed Rail

• The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act includes $8 billion to deploy high-speed passenger rail systems and improve intercity passenger rail across the country.
• The U.S. Department of Transportation will award the funds on a competitive basis, and NCDOT is aggressively pursuing this funding to use for further development of the Southeast High-Speed Rail Corridor between Charlotte and Washington, D.C.
• NCDOT plans to submit applications for 90 rail projects totaling about $4 billion for ARRA funding. The list includes more than $900 million for projects that are considered "shovel ready" and more than $3 billion for corridor development projects, which will involve Virginia and North Carolina. To read the list, click here.
• The projects will not only improve service for current train passengers, but they will also help establish the framework for SEHSR.

Next Steps

• NCDOT will continue to work with its local-level partners to develop project priorities and determine how available funding can best be used to complete needed improvements, create jobs and stimulate North Carolina’s economy.
• The department will continue seeking out other grant opportunities available as a result of the act to better the state's transportation infrastructure.
• The department will measure how well it uses the recovery funding to meet transportation goals and generate job growth on its Organizational Performance Dashboard.

Useful Links

The following links contain information regarding the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and transportation infrastructure improvements:

• American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
• American Public Transportation Association
• N.C. Office of Economic Recovery and Investment (NCrecovery.gov)
• Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor
• U.S. Department of Transportation