According to the San Bernardino Sun, work has begun on widening a freeway that runs through downtown San Bernardino. The widening of Interstate 215 is being funded in part by almost $130 million in federal money made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
According to the Associated Press, the project is the largest of its type to be funded by dollars from the Act. The overall freeway improvements are expected to cost $800 million and should be done by 2013.
Around 2,000 people are expected to be put to work through the project completion, the AP reported. Furthermore, the projected is expected to attract more money into the area.
"I think what you're going to see is a general desire to invest along here," Deborah Barmack, executive director for San Bernardino Associated Governments, told the San Bernardino Sun.
Though federal funds may be helping with widening the freeway, a recent report from the Department of Commerce shows that spending on public construction projects fell by 0.7 percent in July. According to a seasonally-adjusted rate, $327.6 billion was spent on public construction projects during the month.
