Washington – U.S. Senators Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor and U.S. Representatives Marion Berry (AR-01), Vic Snyder (AR-02) and Mike Ross Representative (AR-04) today announced that Arkansas will receive $16,680,914 to meet various transportation needs across the state. The funds are provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which Congress passed with their support and the President signed into law earlier this year.
The funds will be allocated as follows:
$15,139,150 for the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department to purchase 126 replacement vehicles for transit providers. These vehicles include 65 lift buses that are smaller than 30 feet, 8 intercity buses, 2 rubber tired trolleys, 21 vans with lifts, and 30 vans without lifts.
$1,541,764 for Ozark Regional Transit to purchase 5 replacement buses that are smaller than 30 feet, 8 replacement vans, 12 bus stop passenger shelters, and ADP hardware.
“More than $1 billion in economic recovery funds have been allocated for Arkansas to date, and many of those dollars are putting Arkansans to work building roads, repairing schools, and providing health care, among other critical priorities. These latest funds will provide our communities with much-needed resources to help keep Arkansans safe. Recovery dollars have been critical for our state, and I’m convinced that without the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, economic conditions across our nation would be much worse,” said Lincoln.
“A good public transportation system attracts businesses to the state and improves the quality of life for Arkansans. The new buses, vans, and trolleys purchased with these funds will help keep our residents safe when using public transportation and boost economic development,” said Pryor.
“When we strengthen our transportation infrastructure, we continue to make progress in laying the foundation for growth in our state,” said Berry. “This funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will help create jobs and additional economic opportunities throughout Arkansas.”
“What a great use of stimulus dollars: help manufacturing jobs and help Arkansans meet their transportation needs,” said Snyder.
“Ensuring our transportation facilities and infrastructure are top-notch is key to the long-term economic growth of our state,” said Ross. “These federal investments will help give our local communities and state the necessary resources to meet the growing demands on our public transportation capabilities and help to make our roads smoother and safer for everyone.”
