Missouri was really eager to get bragging rights on this whole “shovel-ready” thing. The governor and various other officials, including state transportation director Pete Rahn, staked out a rural bridge yesterday while Obama prepared to sign the stimulus bill. As soon as the presidential nib came up from the page, the $8.5 million project to replace the Route 17 bridge over the Osage River near Tuscumbia was officially underway. The state tendered a check for slightly over $200,000 to the contractor on the project and a backhoe immediately started digging a hole for a pylon.
According to Rahn, the firm was about to lay off a employees and the stimulus allowed them to hire instead. “There were a lot of happy construction workers,” he said later. He expects the project will create a total of 250 jobs.
Of course, it’s also worth noting that the bridge is not exactly a crucial artery – it serves a town of about 200 people and, according to local paper, is “so remote that Missouri transportation officials brought a special satellite truck to allow highway commissioners to meet and award the bridge construction contract.” We don’t know exactly what that means, but it does sound pretty remote.
June 9th, 2010 at 3:42 pm
The satellite truck was necessary because of the deep river valley, not because of the remoteness as the site is only about 30 miles from the state capital of Jefferson City and is a mere eight miles from Lake of the Ozarks. Highway maps are readily available; you might want to look at one from time to time.
Yes, the town next to the bridge only has 220 people but 2700 vehicles go across it daily, many of them commuting to state jobs in Jeff City or to the lake. Many of the vehicles are also carrying hogs, cattle, poultry, grain and timber to feed America and supply the construction industry. Nearly all of this country’s food comes from outside cities, which means rural bridges are vital links in the country’s food supply chain.