PUNALU'U — The state is about to cash in on the first installment of federal stimulus money with the replacement of the South Punalu'u Bridge.

The project is one of seven projects totaling $40 million that have sought or will seek bids later this month or in May. The state Department of Transportation will receive about $126 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding for highway projects alone. The state will get a total of $1 billion.

Nineteen transportation and infrastructure projects in all counties are slated to share in the $126 million in stimulus funds. The bridge project is getting $17 million and represents the DOT's most diverse project on the list, requiring a variety of skilled labors such as heavy equipment operators, masons, carpenters and ironworkers, Transportation Director Brennon Morioka said.

The states receives about $135 million annually from the federal government for highway projects and this additional stimulus fund will be used to supplement the states highway program.

"It allows us to bring other projects forward as well," Morioka said, adding that the money will accelerate some of the projects, getting them done sooner.

The projects on the list include $17 million for interim improvements on Kuhio Highway on Kaua'i, $11 million to clean, paint and replace steel in bridges on Hawai'i Belt Road on the Big Island and $35 million for a four-lane highway on the Big Island.

U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawai'i, who sits on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, was in Punalu'u yesterday inspecting the Punalu'u bridge to make sure the money she helped allocate for the state was being spent wisely.

"This is exactly the kind of (transportation and) infrastructure project that we were looking to see happen," Hirono said. "It's going to create some 200 jobs or retain jobs."

Another benefit is that the state and counties are not required to provide matching funds for the stimulus money, said Jiro Sumada, DOT deputy director. Each project on the list is 100 percent funded by the Recovery Act except for the Punalu'u bridge, which was partially funded by the state at the time of selection.

"Nationwide that was a very significant concern among all highway agencies," Sumada said. A requirement for local matching funds would jeopardize federal funding because of the requirement to spend it quickly.

Hirono said Congress recognized that could be a problem. "We didn't want to put any impediment on the use of these funds," she said.

To qualify for the funding, the projects had to be "shovel ready," with all of the planning, engineering and design completed. The funding is for construction only.