"The stimulus is one of the very few bright spots the constructionindustry experienced last year and is one of the few hopes keeping itgoing in 2010," according to a statement by Ken Simonson, theassociation's chief economist. Simonson was unable to return a call to GlobeSt.com in time for publication.
New federal reports show that $20.6 billion dollars worth of stimulushighway projects were initiated over the past 12 months, whichsaved or created nearly 280,000 construction jobs--or 15,000 jobs perbillion dollars invested.
At the same time, heavy and civil engineeringconstruction employment was stable last month even as totalconstruction employment declined by 75,000. All of these factorssuggest that the stimulus is having a stabilizing impact on the industry, Simonson said.
These projects are also having a ripple effect in downstreamindsutries. Simonson pointed to Pittsburh's Golden TriangleConstruction Co., which is hiring two new engineers and over 100employees this spring to perform $24 million worth of stimulus-fundedprojects this year, courtesy of Ripon, CA-based Guntert and Zimmerman. The company also plans to order new construction equipment.
There have been hints before that the stimulus was making its presence felt in the construction industry: last August, for example, the American Institute of Architect' Architecture Billings Index found that the stimulus was generating some work and inquiries.
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