“We’ll be ready regardless of what type of funding that is provided to Oklahoma,” Transportation Secretary Gary Ridley said. “Engineers and staff here at the department and the construction industry will be ready to move quickly.”

The president’s $447 billion plan, unveiled last week, is a package of new spending and tax cuts intended to deliver a jolt to the economy.

According to analysis by Senate Democrats, the plan to invest more money in roads and transit projects would mean $489 million for Oklahoma. The state received $465 million in federal funds from the 2009 stimulus bill.

Ridley, who also is director of the state Transportation Department, told members of the Oklahoma Transportation Commission that if the funding package is approved, staff would review projects in the state’s eight-year construction work plan.

“It would certainly help us advance our eight-year construction work program and our assets preservation program (which includes sealing cracks and crevices that is essential to preserving roads),” Ridley said. “That’s where we would look to accelerate the projects that we already know are of critical need, or they wouldn’t be in the program.

“We have a backlog of needs that certainly can be moved forward if the resources for funding were available.”

The analysis shows the funding would provide about 6,400 local jobs.

“If you drive by a construction site, hopefully you’re gong to see some people and activity working there,” Ridley said. “If you’re going to have construction, you’re probably going to have sustained employment or have new employment.”

Asked if he supported Obama’s plan, Ridley said, “I support investment into infrastructure. How that is tempered with the financial condition of the federal government, someone else has to make those decisions, not me.”

Ridley said he expected Congress would pass a short-term extension of the federal highway bill.

It would be the eighth extension of the surface transportation bill.

Ridley told commissioners he expected the extension would run

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