Stimulus funds have created 366 state transportation jobs so far

CARSON CITY — The Nevada Department of Transportation today reported it created 366 jobs in September using some of the $208.7 million in federal stimulus funds it is receiving through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Ninety of the people put to work are rebuilding a depot and doing other projects on the old Virginia & Truckee Railroad line between Carson City and Virginia City. The railroad went out of business in 1950, but reopened in August as a $48 Saturday tourist excursion train.

Most of the others are working on projects laying pavement and filling potholes throughout the state.

"We could have spent all of our money on one or two projects, like in other states, but we decided to spend it preserving our existing system," said Scott Magruder, a Transportation Department spokesman. "We weren't in a race to get the money spent."

Magruder said most of the projects are only beginning now so employment numbers will increase in coming months.

All state agencies that received federal stimulus funds are required by Saturday to report what they have done with the money, and how many jobs were created, to the federal agency from which they received money. The Transportation Department sent its report to federal highway officials.

But Charles Harvey, the state stimulus funds director, said last week that it would be some time after Oct. 10 before he would know how many jobs have been created with the money. The Review-Journal obtained the information on transportation jobs directly from the Transportation Department.

Gov. Jim Gibbons promised full accounting and transparency in the state’s use of stimulus funds.

So far, however, the state stimulus Web site, www.nv.gov/recovery, offers only information on which agencies are receiving $2.192 billion in stimulus funds. The site has no information on how the funds are being spent by the agency. Some information has not been updated since July 19.

At a legislative hearing two weeks ago, embarrassed administration officials could report that only three jobs had been created so far from stimulus funds.

Contact Capital Bureau Chief Ed Vogel at evogel@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3901.