HONOLULU — Gov. Linda Lingle on Tuesday announced that the state has advanced nearly $1.5 billion in capital improvement projects statewide since her administration launched a plan last December to accelerate public infrastructure construction as part of a comprehensive effort
HONOLULU — Gov. Linda Lingle on Tuesday announced that the state has advanced nearly $1.5 billion in capital improvement projects statewide since her administration launched a plan last December to accelerate public infrastructure construction as part of a comprehensive effort to stimulate the economy and create jobs.
Over the past year, the state has successfully opened bids for, awarded contracts for or started construction on 681 capital improvement projects, totaling $1.29 million, a news release from the governor’s office states.
In addition, the state hopes to put out to bid, an additional 1,021 projects totaling $314.13 million by end of the year. The state is counting on the Department of Education for the majority of these projects (997 projects totaling $209.23 million).
The original 18-month plan launched one year ago included approximately 1,500 capital improvement projects totaling $1.8 billion which were previously budgeted and approved by the Legislature. While the State has focused on these 1,500 projects, work is also moving forward on another 800 capital improvement projects. In all, the state’s expanded plans now include 2,308 construction projects, totaling $4.5 billion.
“While the state is taking steps to address the immediate need to revitalize our economy and address the budget shortfall, it is critical that we continue to focus on the repair and maintenance of our public buildings and facilities as well as invest in modernization of our public infrastructure,” said Lingle.
Progress of all the capital improvement projects can be tracked on the governor’s Web site at www.hawaii.gov/cip.
