California high-speed project meets ARRA funding deadline

Written by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor
image description
CHSRA

The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) says it has met federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 requirements by fully investing the more than $2.55 billion granted to the state since 2009 to build the nation's first high-speed rail system.

CHSRA explains that these funds have helped to create thousands of new jobs and generated approximately $4 billion in economic activity in the Central Valley and across California.

ARRA was enacted in 2009 to help the country recover from recession by creating jobs, spurring technological development and building new infrastructure. CHSRA says back then, the state unemployment rate was at 12.4 percent and 17 percent in the Central Valley.

CHSRA says it invested the federal funds in core program tasks, including advanced planning, design and environmental outreach with communities along the full Phase 1 system from San Francisco to Los Angeles/Anaheim. The funds helped advance construction on more than 119 miles in the Central Valley from Madera to north of Bakersfield with 14 active construction sites. CHSRA says this work employed more than 1,400 craft laborers; 630 private sector firms and more than 400 small businesses. CHSRA also notes that 100 percent of the steel and concrete used in construction was made in America, more than 80,000 tons of construction materials have been recycled and 55 grade separation projects in the Central Valley have been initiated to improve safety.

“All of the ARRA funds for the project were spent prior to the statutory deadline of September 30, 2017 and thanks to these federal funds, thousands of people are working in good-paying jobs to build a new transportation system that will improve quality-of-life for generations to come,” said Dan Richard, CHSRA Board
Chair. “High-speed rail workers are also investing money back into their local communities, boosting local economies and generating up to $4 billion in new economic activity.”

Tags: