• The American Road and Transportation Builders Association dug into the numbers for the past 12 months and found that 28 states and the District of Columbia have awarded less work, even with inflation adjustments, than they paid for road and transportation improvements in 2008.
• Alison Premo Black, ARTBA chief economist and vice president of policy, said, "That’s a major reason why unemployment in the construction industry is over six points higher than the national average.”
• The association did its analysis as congressional negotiations appear to be going nowhere to replace a temporary federal transportation construction program that expires next week.

From the article: "As another deadline-driven showdown looms June 30 between the House and Senate on how to handle highway and transit program funding over the short-term, a new report released today by the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) shows transportation improvement programs are struggling in over half the states. ..."