</div> <p>Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell announced Wednesday that the state had ordered $2 billion worth of work on crumbling roads and bridges during 2011.</p> <p>The money is part of the governor’s 2010 transportation plan. Since that plan went into effect, the state has completed 111 projects, has another 625 projects underway, and an additional 290 projects in the pipeline for construction, according to McDonnell’s office.</p> <p>“I tasked [the Virginia Department of Transportation] to push projects out the door and accelerate project delivery to get Virginia moving and out of gridlock,” McDonnell said in a statement. “VDOT and the construction industry moved aggressively to maximize their financial and labor resources, resulting in significant progress to make Virginia’s roads and bridges safer and better to travel on, in addition to creating jobs and stimulating the economy.”</p> <p>McDonnell recently announced new plans to shift some sales tax revenues to transportation, but critics said the governor should do even more — such as raise the gas tax — to ensure funds for transportation are ongoing instead of one-time investments.</p>
