Mostly what I saw was a lot of heavy construction equipment owned by large construction companies sitting idle on the sides of roads. IOWs the construction companies were being paid rent on their otherwise idle equipment to decorate the landscape. I saw very little actual work get done.
I remember the outrage in Michigan (and other states) that we spent lot of money on road signs which typically cost between $500 and $1,200 to design, make and install, read: “Putting America to Work” in black letters on an orange background, and “Project Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act” in white letters on a green background.
Money that could have filled potholes vs. signage.