California stimulus start

Work has started on two additional lanes on the Caldecott Tunnel in California, US. The US$ 420 million project will use US$ 198 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), making it the largest investment from the US stimulus fund to date.

The lanes will be added to in a new tunnel near Oakland and San Francisco to help alleviate congestion. US transportation deputy secreteary John Porcari said, "Embarking on a major porject that will tunnel throuhg the Berkeley Hills will not only create good paying jobs for workers, but it will also greatly imporve the quality of life for East Bay residents and thousands of daily communters."

The route serves an estimated 160000 drivers per day. When completed in 2013, the new 3389 ft (1.03 km) will add two 12 ft (3.66 m) wide lanes, as well as 12 ft (3.66 m) of shoulders and 5 ft (1.52 m) of emergency walkways. Located in an area prone to earthquakes, it will also include seven emergency escape passages.

According to the Department of Transportation, of the US$ 26.6 billion av avilable to highway projects through the Recovery Act, US$ 23.2 billion has been allocated to more than 10600 projects across the US. It added that 6584 of these schemes are underway.