The Obama administration has slammed a report from The Associated Press alleging the government had overstated by thousands the number of jobs it has created or saved with federal contracts under President Obama’s $787 billion recovery program. Below are details from a specific project based in Iowa.
All data below is from Recovery.gov
Recipent
BNSF RAILWAY COMPANY
City
Burlington
Award Description
Note that this is not a federal award contract, grant, or loan; thus the above reporting information section is not applicable to this report. The recovery funds reported herein are reimbursement of the federal share of the expenses accrued by Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway Company for altering BNSF Bridge over the Upper Mississippi River in Burlington, Iowa under the provisions of Truman-Hobbs Act.
The existing bridge was declared by the Coast Guard to be unreasonably obstruction to navigation. The Coast Guard issued Order to Alter to BNSF requiring BNSF to replace the swing span of the existing bridge with a new lift span that provides wider navigation opening necessary in order to render navigation through and under the bridge reasonably free, easy, and unobstructed. The alteration of the draw span is conducted by BNSF personnel and through contracts between BNSF and contractors / consultants. All construction activities, expenditures, and contracts executed under this project are monitored by the Coast Guard.
The project received $36,445,756 through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 that leveraged $26,778,889 of previously obligated funds appropriated to the project and created $63,224,645 (amount of award) simulative [sic] impact on construction industry. Prior of receiving the recovery funds, $1,200,000 was spent from the previously obligated funds to complete the design of the bridge.
Award Amount (ARRA Received)
$63,224,645 ($305,610.34)
Project Description
For 3rd quarter 2009 – Contractor has mobilized to site, mussel relocation work is complete, all permits are in hand, drilling core samples at the new drilled shaft foundation locations in under way, review of RFIs and shop drawings, ordering some of the construction material.
Job Creation Comments
4 FTE created, 6 FTE retained. Three of the jobs were operating engineers and the last new job was a carpenter position.
Number of Jobs (Saved or Created) Claimed
10
Cost Per Job
Using the $36,445,756 figure from the award description: $3.6 Million per job
Tags: arra, iowa, jobs, recovery
