LOUISVILLE, KY – The United States Army Corps of Engineers today released a listing of Civil Works projects to be funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).

The legislation, signed into law by President Barack Obama on February 17, appropriated $4.6 billion to the Corps for its Civil Works program. 

The Louisville District Army Corps of Engineers received $37.118 million in the Reinvestment Act for nine civil works projects in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio which will put Americans to work and assist in the recovery of the nation’s economy.

These projects are: $4.906 million for the Illinois Olmsted Locks and Dam to place tainter gate shells in the river to complete low water activities; $2.8 million for the John T. Myers Locks and Dam (Ky. and Ind.) to award a construction contract for the resident engineer’s building and visitor center for the lock extension project; $5.5 million for the J.T. Myers upper approach widening for the lock extension project; $3.643 for the Ohio River Greenway Public Access Project, New Albany, Clarksville and Jeffersonville, Ind., to award construction contracts to complete three additional segments of the project; and $750K for the Ohio River Shoreline Project to award a construction contract to complete the flood damage reduction project in cities of New Albany and Jeffersonville.

Funds appropriated for lock and dam work in Markland, Ky., are in three line items:  $2 million for the Markland Locks and Dam (Ky. and Ind.) major rehabilitation to provide fabrication of a custom milling machine and associated hardware to be used on site for milling lock embedded metals in preparation for installation of new miter gates; $3.3 million for Markland Locks and Dam to award a construction contract for a miter gate assembly pier to support installation and maintenance of new lock miter gates; and $4.835 million for Markland Locks and Dam for fabrication and installation of new lock filling and emptying valves.

The ARRA also includes $9.384 million for the Metropolitan Region of Cincinnati, Duck Creek, Ohio, to award a fully funded contract for construction of the final phase of the ongoing flood damage reduction project.

“The Recovery Act funds for Civil Works will enable the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to do much good for the nation,” said John Paul Woodley, Jr., Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works. 

“In addition to the opportunity to help the nation and her citizens recover from this time of economic hardship,” said Woodley, “the Corps will be able to use these funds to accomplish work on water resources projects that will benefit the nation for years to come.”

The Louisville District also received $14.401 million in funds to improve public safety and enhance recreation at all of its 20 Corps lakes in Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio. The district received $669K continuing authorities’ funds for the Indiana Hovey Lake Habitat Development to initiate and complete ecosystem restoration to benefit migratory waterfowl. The City of Sidney, Ohio, will benefit from a $450K Recovery Act allocation to award a contract for a Corps study to identify sources that provide a safe and reliable water supply.

Economists estimate that Corps Recovery Act projects will create or maintain approximately 57,400 direct construction industry jobs and an additional 64,000 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.

The Corps’ list of Recovery Act-funded Civil Works projects released today includes approximately 178 construction projects, 892 Operation and Maintenance projects, 45 Mississippi River and Tributaries projects, 67 Investigations projects, and nine projects under the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP).  Regulatory Program funds are distributed to Corps districts based upon workload.  All projects on the lists have received appropriated funds in prior years’ Energy and Water Development Appropriations acts.  No project on the lists is a new start.

The projects selected represent a set of productive investments that will contribute to economic development and aquatic ecosystem restoration.  The projects will achieve the purposes of the Recovery Act to commence expenditures quickly by investing in infrastructure that will provide long term economic and environmental benefits to the nation.  Moreover, the projects are fully consistent with the President’s direction to ensure that Recovery Act funds are spent responsibly and transparently.
 
The 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 projects released today are distributed very broadly across the United States.  The distribution of selected projects spreads the employment and other economic benefits across the nation.

The lists of projects released today and additional information on the Corps’ role in the Recovery Act are available on the Web at www.usace.army.mil/recovery. The Louisville District web site also has links to the same information at  http://www.lrl.usace.army.mil/.

Contact: Carol Labashosky                           (502) 315-6769      
cell: (502) 741-7263                                
Ron Elliott (502) 315-6773
cell: (502) 645-4293

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