news-record.com

The new year could see many new construction projects in North Carolina.

Tuesday, both Gov.-elect Beverly Perdue and Gov. Mike Easley, along with most of the nation's governors, met with President-elect Barack Obama in Philadelphia about crafting a federal economic stimulus program that would, among other things, provide states money to use for infrastructure projects.

The idea seems like a good one. Besides ensuring that many necessary projects would be completed, it also would boost the economy. Also, scheduling construction projects during a recession, when labor and other costs likely will be lower, could provide states more bang for their bucks.

States need an infusion of federal money. They are facing budget deficits that could reach $60 billion in the next six months, and, unlike the federal government, most are required to balance their budgets.

North Carolina's shortfall alone could be $1.6 billion by June 2009, the end of the fiscal year.

(Governors also want the stimulus package to provide funds for necessary safety-net programs, such as unemployment insurance extensions, food stamps and Medicaid.)

While replacing the Yadkin River bridge on I-85 -- viewed as North Carolina's most dangerous bridge -- likely would be a prime contender for such money, a wider array of projects would be considered. Think sewers and water systems, airports and transit systems.

There also is interest in extending broadband access. That's a good idea. Doing so could improve the nation's competitiveness. The United States lags behind many countries in Internet access.

A key to a project getting funded is that it could get under way in short order. A spokesperson for the N.C. Department of Transportation said Wednesday that the department is now compiling a list of such projects that should be available by late next week.

Support for a federal "bailout" for states isn't likely to be universal in Congress. Critics will say the last thing the debt-plagued federal government should do is add to what it owes.

But the money spent on infrastructure projects would have tangible benefits, both for workers and for users. That's more than can be said for the $700 billion approved to bail out the financial system ... the use for which still seems to be changing.

The state needs to compile its project list. Maryland's transportation department has worked on a list since summer, in anticipation of such a program. The midnight oil had better burn in Raleigh. A few thousand spent on overtime hours now might mean many extra millions later.