New Jersey commissioner calls for transportation stimulus

New Jersey State Transportation Commissioner Kris Kolluri said Nov. 10 that as many as 10,000 state jobs can be created quickly if a federal economic stimulus package includes money for highway projects.

About $1.2 billion worth of state highway and bridge projects can be started within 90 days if Congress provides the money. Kolluri said those projects would create about 10,000 jobs in construction and related fields.

Kolluri said the U.S. government should follow the example of China. The week of Nov. 10, China announced plans to dedicate about $586 billion to infrastructure projects to boost its dwindling economy.

State leaders around the nation have urged Congress to pump money into infrastructure projects that can be started quickly. They say the money would create jobs immediately and provide long-term benefits.

Around the country, more than 3,000 highway and bridge projects, worth $18 billion, could be started in 30 to 90 days, according to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).

President-elect Barack Obama has said that he will push a stimulus package through Congress “immediately after” taking office in January if the current administration and Congress cannot come to an agreement on one. Obama has indicated some of the money would be directed to public-works projects.