infusion is the `` catalyst '' to create 60 jobs , including bringing back some laid-off employees . He said he hopes the workers can be retained beyond this six-month project . `` We 'll continue to bid , so the goal is to get more projects to keep those guys working , so they can roll off that project onto another , '' Compton said . CNNMoney : Stimulus funds hit the street Obama and LaHood on Tuesday announced the release of $ 27 billion in funds from the stimulus package `` to help states create a 21st-century infrastructure . '' The president said it is part of the `` largest new investment in America 's infrastructure since President Eisenhower built the Interstate Highway System . '' Obama said another 200 construction projects would be launched over the next few weeks , `` fueling growth in an industry that 's been hard hit by our economic crisis . '' Two weeks ago , Obama signed into law his stimulus plan , known as the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act . The president has said the plan will create or save up to 3.5 million jobs over the next two
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- President Obama said Tuesday that the country already is `` seeing shovels hit the ground '' on the first infrastructure repair project funded through the Transportation Department 's share of the $ 787 billion stimulus bill . Workers mark where repairs are needed on Maryland Route 650 . Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said , `` The work begins today in Montgomery County , Maryland , where a work crew is starting on a project to resurface Maryland State Highway 650 -- a very busy road that has not been fully repaired in 17 years . '' The resurfacing contract is going to a Pennsylvania-based family-owned company , American Infrastructure , LaHood said . He said the project will support 60 jobs . `` And that 's how we 're going to get the country back on its feet , '' LaHood added . Mark Compton , director of government affairs for American Infrastructure , said his company received $ 2.1 million in federal funds , by way of the Maryland State Highway Administration . The money will be used to repave and add safety features to a stretch of the highway . Compton said the cash