HAPEVILLE, Ga. (AP) — A $940,000 effort to resurface four miles of roadway in suburban Atlanta — Georgia’s first federal stimulus transportation project — will begin this week, Gov. Sonny Perdue announced Tuesday.

The project will smooth a portion of U.S. Highway 19/State Route 3 running between Fulton and Clayton counties starting in Hapeville, and is expected to create or maintain more than 250 jobs.

Officials believe the project using American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 funds will also stimulate businesses along the busy roadway.

“The investment in transportation provides real opportunity, real solutions for Georgia businesses like these,” Perdue said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon. Behind him, cars whizzed past soul food restaurants, coffee shops and clothing boutiques lining the route.

Deputy U.S. Transportation Secretary John D. Porcari also attended the announcement of the project, which is one of hundreds expected to do everything from help improve intersections to smooth lumpy roads across the state while creating jobs.

“We’re putting people back to work in cities and towns across America,” Porcari said.

Nationally, some $48 billion in stimulus dollars have been set aside to improve transportation infrastructure, including highways, public transit, high speed rail and aviation.

Georgia Department of Transportation officials are responsible for 70 percent of Georgia’s $932 million in highway system stimulus funds. The remaining 30 percent is divided among the state’s 15 metropolitan planning organizations and designated rural areas.

The state also got $144 million in stimulus money for public transit and Georgia DOT has awarded related local grants totaling approximately $39 million.

GDOT has already committed half of its money. Proposals include a wide range of projects like a bike trail project in Muscogee County, and a $1.5 million intersection improvement project in Union County, along State Route 11/US 129 at Pat Harralson Dr.

The Hapeville resurfacing work will be performed by C.W. Matthews Contracting Co., Inc., of Marietta. The company says this and other stimulus funded projects will enable it to retain more than 250 current Georgia employees that would have otherwise been without employment due to a lack of work.

College Park-based B&J Contracting will subcontract under C.W.; the stimulus money is helping them hire three employees for the resurfacing project.

“We have also won a few other jobs from the stimulus money,” said contract administrator Mark Mattox. “So we don’t anticipate any layoffs for he rest of the year.”

Perdue said the effect of the roadway projects will last beyond a few months.

The funds “will create jobs for the future by improving Georgia’s transportation network,” Perdue said.