St. Petersburg Times: Building a better transportation future

Gov. Rick Scott has launched his own stimulus program with the state's smart decision to speed up more than $1 billion in road projects. The move doesn't excuse the governor's decision to kill the federally funded high-speed rail between Tampa and Orlando. But it will create jobs, and it's a good down payment on improving critical links in the state's transportation system, including several vital routes in the Tampa Bay area.

Contractors are so hard up for work that the state is saving up to 25 percent on the estimated costs of road projects. This month, the state announced it would pour those savings back into new road work. In all, about $1.2 billion in unfunded road projects will be advanced in the coming year. These are essential investments in their own right, but lifelines for thousands in this struggling recovery.

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