Road construction is key driver of jobs

It’s easy to take the roads for granted, but for some contractors, road work is the economic engine of their business.

http://www.timesargus.com/article/20150727/BUSINESS03/707279939/1006/BUSINESS

Road construction is key driver of jobs By | July 27,2015 Photo by Len Emery A paving crew from Wilk Paving lays asphalt along Route 106 in Weathersfield. It’s easy to take the roads for granted, but for some contractors, road work is the economic engine of their business. Steve Wilk, owner of Wilk Paving in Rutland, said his company has done a mix of state and municipal road projects for most of its 31-year history. “Road construction is probably 75 percent of our business,” Wilk said. Wilk said the season for road construction lasts from April 15 to Oct. 15. During that time, he said, Wilk Paving can have up to three road projects going at once. Last week the company paved 3½ miles on Route 106 near Springfield, and earlier this season, it handled projects in Fair Haven, West Rutland and Benson. Wilk Paving employs 22 people, and Wilk said road construction is critical for those jobs. “The bulk of them are relying on the road projects that we get,” he said. “It’s the largest part of our business.” Sue Minter, secretary of the Vermont Agency of Transportation, said a lot of jobs depend on Vermont’s investments in its transportation infrastructure. “I think it has a very significant impact on our economy,” she said. Minter said construction jobs are generally well-paid positions. According to federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, construction workers’ pay in Vermont averaged $45,400 in 2013, which was 10 percent higher than all private sector wages in the state. Minter noted that road projects in Vermont also create work for equipment and materials suppliers. She said local restaurants receive additional business from workers on projects in their area. Lenny LeBlanc, chief financial officer of the Vermont Agency of Transportation, said the state budgeted $21.5 million for road and bridge construction projects in Rutland County in the current fiscal year – and that’s excluding aviation and rail projects. Minter said the Federal Highway Administration uses a calculation saying that for every $36,000 spent on transportation infrastructure, one job is created. By that measure, the $21.5 million the state has budgeted for road and bridge construction projects in Rutland County should create 597 jobs. LeBlanc said the state budgeted $40 million for road, bridge, aviation and rail projects, combined, in Rutland County. Again using the federal calculation for jobs created, that $40 million should create 1,111 jobs. Minter said the state plans to spend more than $600 million statewide on infrastructure projects including state and local roads, bridges, transit and aviation. Cathy Voyer Lamberton, executive vice president of Associated General Contractors of Vermont, said road construction has a major positive impact on jobs, as does the construction industry in general. “Construction as a whole is significant not only for the state, but for the nation,” Lamberton said. She said road construction also provides work for a lot of different kinds of professionals, such as pipelayers, excavators, guardrail subcontractors and utility workers. Lamberton, Minter and Wilk have all kept close track of the federal transportation funding debate in Washington this year. Congress faces a July 31 deadline to approve a new federal transportation bill. As of Friday, the bill remained under debate in the U.S. Senate.