Obama Releases $470 Million for Highway Work

That's enough for, like, 100 yards of high-speed rail!

The Obama administration will make nearly half a billion dollars available to states to create thousands of construction jobs and fix the nation's aging infrastructure.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said at a news conference Friday that more than $470 million would be made available to repair crumbling roads and bridges. The District of Columbia and Puerto Rico are also eligible for the funds.

The money comes from Congressional earmarks from 2003 to 2006 that were provided in the Transportation Department's budget. Earmarks are provisions in spending bills that direct taxpayer dollars to pet projects in lawmakers' districts or states.