Governor Rell: Major Bridge Stimulus Project

Set to Begin Next Week

Replacement of Amtrak Bridge, Route 1 Widening

Generating Dozens of Direct and Indirect Jobs

Governor M. Jodi Rell announced today that the replacement of an Amtrak bridge and the widening of heavily traveled Route 1 in Branford, one of the largest projects in the state funded with federal stimulus dollars, is set to get underway next week.

“This is just one of more than 30 stimulus projects totaling $455 million being administered by our Department of Transportation – many lasting several years or more – and each will create or sustain jobs for our workers,” Governor Rell said. “In addition, each project has a ripple effect, creating a number of ancillary jobs for landscapers, utility crews, delivery companies and other support operations right here in our state. The stimulus program is all about putting people to work and boosting our overall economy, and that is exactly what we are doing with each of our projects.”

Governor Rell said the $70.5 million Branford project is a joint venture between Empire Paving Company of North Haven and J.F. White of Framingham, Massachusetts. The bulk of the project will be done by Connecticut workers, while some members of the management team will be from Massachusetts.  It is estimated that as many as 60 workers will be on the job during peak periods. Federal law prohibits Connecticut from choosing only in-state companies and any company on the DOT’s list of pre-qualified contractors may bid.

The Governor noted that the ARRA law maintains the federal government’s long-standing requirement that jobs be awarded to the “lowest responsible bidder,” which, in the case of the five-year Branford project, for example, was the joint venture between Empire Paving and JF White Inc.

JF White Project Manager Bob Murphy said, “JF White has been doing construction and management work in Connecticut for more than a decade. We are particularly pleased to have been selected to complete this project with our partners at Empire Paving. I can assure Governor Rell that we will be employing Connecticut-based workers and maintaining our good-neighbor policy during the five-year duration of this project.”

Another Connecticut stimulus project already underway is a $70.7 million job along a 9-mile stretch of the Merritt Parkway in Fairfield and Trumbull. That three-year project is being done by O&G Construction of Torrington, and includes bridge rehabilitation, roadway resurfacing and other safety improvements

Under a formula used by the construction industry, for every $1 billion spent, more than 27,000 jobs are created, sustained or supported. That figure includes 9,500 construction jobs; 4,300 jobs in ancillary businesses like materials production or support services; and almost 14,000 jobs supported as those workers spend their incomes (source: The American Road and Transportation Builders Association, www.artba.org).

"The construction industry has always been steadfast behind the lowest-competitive-bid system when public money is going into a project,” said Don Shubert, Executive Director of the Connecticut Construction Industries Association. “JF White has been a signatory with the three major trade unions in Connecticut – the operating engineers, the laborers and the carpenters – for years. They will be employing Connecticut workers on this project – no question."