From the beginning, Virginia has been one of the slowest states to put stimulus money to work. One year into the stimulus, Virginia has used about $300 million to create 454 jobs related to transportation projects. That counts for about half of the state’s total allotment.

Since 81,000 Virginians are on unemployment, that doesn’t seem to count for much in the whole scheme of things.

Most of the transportation funding used so far has gone to 40 highway and bridge projects. Where else has it gone?

-The Department of Rail and Public Transit has awarded contracts for $15.7 million of its $30.5 million in stimulus funds for transit.

-Virginia’s five large metro planning organizations received $117.8 million and contracted $6.8 million.

The VP of the Virginia Transportation Construction Alliance tells the Times-Dispatch:

State transportation agencies “have awarded only about 40 percent of the [total stimulus] work in a year,” said Jeffrey C. Southard, the Virginia Transportation Construction Alliance’s executive vice president. “We hoped more of the work would be on the street by now.”