Department of Transportation
Office of the Secretary
700 E. Broadway Ave
Pierre, SD 57501
Phone: 605/773-3265
FAX: 605/773-3921
Web site: www.sddot.com
For Immediate Release: November 2, 2009
Contact: Kristi Sandal, 605.773.7179
Transportation Department Undergoes Federal Audit
Pierre, S.D. – South Dakota Transportation Secretary Darin Bergquist says the department recently underwent an audit by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) provisions.
In early October, FHWA officials traveled to South Dakota to conduct an in depth audit of the state’s transportation stimulus programs, specifically looking at the areas of Contract Administration, Financial Management and Quality Assurance on South Dakota’s stimulus funded highway construction projects.
The review team praised the professionalism and high level of service the department provides with a limited number of people and resources available as compared to other states.
Officials also commended the department for using a portion of their stimulus money to build one of the largest stimulus funded concrete paving projects in the nation, a 22 mile stretch of I-90 between White Lake and Mount Vernon.
The FHWA review team also determined the department’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program was one of the best they had seen in the country.
Since receiving the stimulus money, the Department of Transportation has contracted for 16 projects worth $90 million, worked with local governments to use $7.5 million to purchase transit vehicles and build or add on to bus barns in several communities, and contracted for 4 airport projects totaling $12.7 million.
The department has also identified needs across the state for the remainder of the full $183 million in stimulus funds for the 2010 construction season.
“Stimulus funds have given us the opportunity to address critical preservation needs for our highway infrastructure, in addition to creating and preserving jobs in the highway construction industry,” says Bergquist.
For detailed information on highway projects, contact Ben Orsbon at 605-773-3265. For more information on transit and airport projects, contact Bruce Lindholm at 605-773-3574.