The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) broke ground May 27 on the next phase of the State Route 905 (SR-905) Project, one of the first transportation projects in the state funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act).

The $76.8 million project is critical to the flow of goods between California and Mexico, and will create an estimated 1,400 jobs due to $74.3 million in funding for this segment from federal economic stimulus dollars.

“This project provides a shot in the arm for our economy and puts Californians back to work,” said Caltrans District 11 (San Diego and Imperial counties) Director Pedro Orso-Delgado. “It’s a great example of how quickly and effectively we are getting Recovery Act dollars out on the street to create jobs and invest in our state’s future.”

California will receive nearly $2.6 billion in stimulus funding for highways and local streets and $1 billion for transit projects, and is the first state in the nation to obligate $1 billion of Recovery Act funding for highways and local streets, a feat accomplished two months ahead of the deadline.

Phase 1B of the SR-905 will build 3 mi. (4.8 km) of six-lane freeway from Britannia Boulevard to Interstate 805 (I-805), an interchange at Caliente Avenue, and new off-ramps at Britannia Boulevard.

The entire SR-905 project will cost $620 million and will create 8 mi. (12.9 km) of a new six-lane freeway alignment from the Otay Mesa Port of Entry to I-805. Annual trade between California and Baja California totals more than $35 billion, and border ports of entry process more than two million trucks each year, a figure expected to double within the next decade.