RALEIGH, N.C. – Gov. Beverly Perdue said her administration will try to tap into additional federal stimulus funds to pay for a key North Carolina bridge project.

Perdue said Thursday the state will seek a grant created in the stimulus package signed by President Obama this week to replace the Yadkin River Bridge on Interstate 85.
 
The state is slated to receive $735 million in the package for roads and bridges.
 
But the package stipulates that half the money be spent on projects deemed “ready to go” in 120 days. State Department of Transportation spokesman Ernie Seneca said the Yadkin River Bridge won’t meet that qualification, so the state will apply for a discretionary grant for the project.

The grants are part of the stimulus package and can reach $300 million, which is the estimated cost of the bridge.

DURHAM, N.C. — They have been on the road for about a year. Now, the Project Vote Smart bus has made a stop in Durham to give people the information they need to know before voting.

The bus arrived on Friday morning on Duke’s campus. The bus route originated from Project Vote Smart’s headquarters in rural Montana.

According to Project Vote smart, the bus tour was actually launched back in October of 2007, and has since traveled more than 35,000 miles and made stops in more than 140 cities.

Staff members say they are out on the road to provide non-partisan information about candidates on the November ballot.

“We track everything they say in the public sphere going back about 12 years,” said Ben Kastan, a staffer with Project Vote Smart. “So you can come on our site, votesmart.org, [and] compare what they voted for, who supports them, the special interests that gives them money.”

According to organizers, the bus, which is called a mobile training center, is complete with a movie theater and free Wi-Fi computer terminals to train voters how to defend themselves against self-serving, manipulative claims made by campaigns.

The bus features a 9-foot, American flag ball. Visitors can write messages of outrage, and encouragements to other voters.

The next stop for the Vote Smart Bus is Fredericksburg, Virginia.