Sanford, N.C. — The U.S. Highway 421 Bypass around Sanford will be the 10,000th project to be completed with federal stimulus funds, Vice President Joe Biden announced Thursday.

Biden spoke about the Sanford Bypass while touting the success of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act during a visit to Cree Inc. in Durham.

The 2.3-mile stretch is one of two needed to complete the bypass that will provide another route for traffic between Fayetteville and Greensboro and ease congestion on Horner Boulevard in Sanford.

"We are honored to be a part of this important national milestone," state Transportation Secretary Gene Conti said in a statement. "The Recovery Act has provided much-needed jobs for North Carolinians and allowed us to move forward with critical improvements to the state's transportation system."

D.H. Griffin Infrastructure LLC was awarded the $26.7 million contract and says it will hire 45 workers for the project. The Greensboro-based company said federal stimulus funds will also let it hire up to 25 people to widen 2.3 miles of U.S. Highway 401 in Wake County.

"There's no doubt about it that projects funded by the Recovery Act have helped our company retain staff and even grow in what is a tough time for the construction industry," D.H. Griffin operations manager Don Tutterow said in a statement.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the Sanford Bypass will take place March 29.

As of Feb. 1, the North Carolina Department of Transportation had awarded 309 contracts for stimulus-funded projects across the state. The agency estimates that more than 28,000 people have worked on the projects.