Roadtec to add over 100 jobs with $6.2 million expansion
Roadtec Inc. is paving the way to add 128 more jobs at the company’s Manufacturers Road and Riverside Drive facilities in Chattanooga with a $6.2 million expansion.
The asphalt equipment manufacturer, a subsidiary of the Chattanooga-based Astec Industries, announced plans Wednesday to relocate some of its production now done in Tacoma, Washington, to its Chattanooga facilities, where Roadtec currently employs more than 400 workers.
“Roadtec has been a valued Hamilton County company for over 30 years, and I am grateful that this expansion will bring new jobs to Chattanooga’s business community,” Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said in an announcement of the manufacturing addition Wednesday. “When companies choose to expand in Tennessee, it underscores our pro-business climate and highly skilled workforce, and we thank Roadtec for its continued commitment to Tennessee.”
As one of the nation’s biggest producers of road paving equipment, Roadtec is expected to benefit by plans in Washington D.C. to boost federal support for highway, roads and bridge construction. Roadtec also is boosting sales from a new materials transfer vehicle, the Shuttle Buggy 3000, which Astec introduced a year ago as the latest transfer vehicle in the 32-year history of Roadtec building such equipment.
“We’ll be transitioning some of product lines [from Tacoma] to the Manufacturers Road facility and this will help with our overall growth strategy,” said Steve Anderson, senior vice president for administration and investor relations at Astec Industries.
Last year, EPB launched its HCS Connect program to provide free broadband service to households with students in Hamilton County schools who are eligible for free or reduced lunches. More than 8,000 households benefit from that program, which will provide a better option for those households, EPB officials said.
People in tribal areas are eligible for up to $75 off their bill. There is also a $100 reimbursement for desktop computers, laptops or tablets — in that case, you must pay between $10 and $50 of the cost of the device yourself and buy it through your broadband provider.
The discount could apply to a household’s whole bill, or you can use it to trade up to a more expensive offering and your bill is partly covered.
The Emergency Broadband Benefit is a more robust, although temporary, program to help people afford internet than Lifeline, the FCC’s other affordability program, which subtracts only $9.25 a month from phone or internet bills. A household can use both the Lifeline and EBB programs.
The Biden administration has proposed $100 billion to get Americans connected, and even before that, billions of dollars are going to improve internet access.
The FCC on Tuesday approved a $7.2 billion program for schools and libraries to connect students in their homes. The Treasury Department is also setting up a $10 billion fund for improving internet connectivity. The money for both came from the $1.9 trillion March pandemic relief package.