CARLISLE, Pa. -- After a speech lauding the new federal economic stimulus plan yesterday, Vice President Joe Biden stepped down off the podium and began shaking the hands of 30 construction workers who will rebuild an aging, rusting two-lane bridge here.

"We appreciate your work, so keep it going," Mr. Biden told the workers from the Eckman Construction Co. of Chester County, the low bidder for the $1.7 million project to replace the 80-year-old span along Route 34 as it passes over the Conodoguinet Creek.

"You guys are rebuilding the infrastructure of this country. This is a big deal," said Mr. Biden, who was accompanied by Gov. Ed Rendell, U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter and federal Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

Mr. Biden said the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, approved by Congress in March, is "putting people back to work." Carlisle was Mr. Biden's first stop on a nationwide tour to promote stimulus projects, including visits in Overland Park, Kan., and Kalamazoo, Mich.

Mr. Specter is now a Democrat but was a Republican when he angered GOP leaders by voting for President Barack Obama's stimulus plan.

Mr. Specter could face a re-election challenge next year from U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak, a liberal Democrat from outside Philadelphia. To boost Mr. Specter's standing among Democrats, Mr. Biden, Mr. Rendell and Mr. LaHood made a point of praising him for his pro-stimulus vote, which they said will provide thousands of jobs and repair the nation's ailing roads and bridges.

"We wouldn't have the stimulus bill if it weren't for Sen. Specter," said Mr. Rendell.

One of the Eckman construction workers Mr. Biden shook hands with was Miguel A. Hernandez, who said he's been in construction for 12 years but was jobless before being hired for the Route 34 bridge project.

The stimulus program "is a good thing, especially for Pennsylvania," Mr. Hernandez said. "The more money that comes in, the more jobs there are, and there are better opportunities for people like myself."

Eckman construction manager Matt Yacobenas said the company has about 300 workers and will add about 30 more workers for the project.

Mr. Rendell said there has been some unfair criticism about the state being slow to get stimulus-funded projects under way. He said it takes 90-120 days to put projects out to bid and order construction materials, so construction projects couldn't get started much sooner because stimulus money just became available in March.

He said the state has awarded 108 stimulus-funded transportation contracts so far, worth more than $200 million, and work has started on 78 projects worth $168 million. Altogether, the new federal money will pay for 242 road- and bridge-related projects in Pennsylvania worth a total of $1.026 billion.

Mr. Rendell said he has directed the state Transportation Department to have contracts for all the stimulus-funded projects in place by the end of August. That's far in advance of the federal deadline of next spring.

Stimulus money will pay for more than just transportation. It will be used to improve water systems, invest in alternative energy and provide health care, Mr. Rendell said.

The now-closed Route 34 bridge is in a category of bridges that are "structurally deficient and functionally obsolete," so repairs are mandatory. It will partially reopen in November and fully reopen next spring.

The bridge handles about 5,000 vehicles a day and is an important cog in the Cumberland County road system, said Carlisle Mayor Kirk Wilson. Many people going to and from Penn State University use Route 34 to get to Route 322, he said.