Corps district gets list of civil works projects to be funded under Recovery Act
FORT WORTH, TX, Apr. 29, 2009 -- The Fort Worth District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers received a list of Civil Works projects totaling more than $107 million for projects to be funded as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. ARRA funding is designed to improve the nation's infrastructure and help stimulate the nation's economy.
The Ft. Worth District's projects are distributed very broadly across its area of responsibility. The distribution of selected projects spreads the employment and other economic benefits across the state.
Operations and Maintenance projects include funding for work at 21 of its 25 lake and dam projects totaling more than $96 million. Highlights include approximately $19 million for Whitney Lake, $11.3 million for Somerville Lake, $9 million for Lake Proctor, $7.5 million for Navarro Mills Lake, $6.9 million for Belton Lake, $6.9 for Ferrell's Bridge Dam in Lake O' the Pines, Texas, $5.9 million for Granger Lake and $5.9 million for Sam Rayburn Dam and Reservoir.
The district will also receive funding for one construction project and an investigation. The San Antonio Mission Reach project will receive $9.4 million for construction; while approximately $1.1 million is allocated for investigations of the Upper Trinity River Basin. With these funds, the Corps will complete the Environmental Impact Statement for the Balance Vision Plan to reduce the risk of flooding.
"Public safety is at the forefront of any Corps project effort," said Col. Christopher W. Martin, Fort Worth District Commander. "This funding will enable us to address much needed infrastructure improvements in water resources within the district's area of responsibility."
Economists estimate that Corps Recovery Act projects will create or maintain approximately 12,500 direct construction industry jobs and an additional 13,900 indirect and induced jobs in firms supplying or supporting the construction and the businesses that sell goods and services to these workers and their families per $1 billion spent.
Projects also meet the five criteria enumerated in the Congressional report accompanying the Recovery Act, namely that the projects:
• Be obligated/executed quickly;
• Result in high, immediate employment;
• Have little schedule risk;
• Be executed by contract or direct hire of temporary labor; and
• Complete a project phase, a project, an element, or will provide a useful service that does not require additional funding.
Recovery Act funds will be used to complete increments of work on previously started projects and in some cases to complete such projects.
The Fort Worth District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was established in 1950. The District is responsible for water resources development in two-thirds of Texas, and military design and construction in Texas and parts of Louisiana and New Mexico.
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