Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Missouri president Doug Smith told Construction Digest that funding will continue to be a problem in the new year but holds out hope for a stimulus plan.
"An economic stimulus program with an emphasis on infrastructure spending at the Congressional level is encouraging, but time will tell if this becomes a reality," he said. "Uncertainty in the financial market, materials shortages and unanticipated public funding shortfalls will all make 2009 a year to remember."
Asphalt Paving Association of Indiana (APAI) executive director Bill Knopf told the magazine that he expects work to decline in 2009 with some recovery beginning in the second half of the year. And Contractors Association of West Virginia executive director Mike Clowser said he expects state highway revenues to decrease because of less traffic due to high fuel prices.
In a meeting with the nation's governors last month, President Barack Obama told the state leaders to be "shovel ready" for infrastructure work that would be part of a stimulus package.
