43 contracts awarded for highway projects

Gov. Bev Perdue announced today that 43 contracts totaling $138.3 million have been awarded for highway and bridge projects across North Carolina, including 12 projects funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The N.C. Department of Transportation awarded the contracts to the lowest bidders, as required by state law, with the exception of one project, which was awarded to the second lowest bidder due to a cap on small business earnings. A list of the projects is attached.

“These projects will make a difference to the lives of North Carolinians by creating or sustaining jobs vital to our economy and improving transportation infrastructure critical to commerce in our state,” Gov. Perdue said.

According to the Federal Highway Administration, every $1 million spent on transportation creates 30 jobs, and according to the construction industry, every dollar invested in transportation generates $6 in economic impact.

The 12 recovery projects are located in Dare, Duplin, Durham, Forsyth, Guilford, Orange, Pender, Polk, Stokes, Tyrrell, Vance, Wake and Warren counties.

The 31 other projects are located in Alamance, Anson, Ashe, Buncombe, Chowan, Cumberland, Davidson, Davie, Durham, Forsyth, Greene, Harnett, Henderson, Jackson, Lenoir, Madison, Mecklenburg, New Hanover, Orange, Pitt, Polk, Rockingham, Rowan, Stokes, Transylvania, Vance, Wake, Warren and Wilkes counties.

NCDOT rejected the bids on two projects – a bridge preservation project in Bertie County and a pavement rehabilitation project in Cherokee County – because they were more than 10 percent above the department’s estimates. The contracts are scheduled to be readvertised in March.

The bids received on all 45 projects advertised came in 11 percent, or about $18.4 million, below NCDOT estimates.

For more information about funding for infrastructure improvements in North Carolina, as well as other NCDOT projects and activities, visit www.ncdot.gov.

Information from a news release sent to the WWAY NewsChannel 3 Newsroom.