DENVER -- Hitting the roads with tax money, more than 500 people have been hired by the Colorado Department of Transportation for stimulus projects.

From the end of May to June 30, hiring picked up by nearly 89 percent, said Stacey Stegman, CDOT spokeswoman.

“We are starting to see real results,” Stegman said.

As of May 31, 66 people had been hired for road projects covered by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

That number includes both new hires of unemployed people and construction workers moving from other jobs to the CDOT projects.

By the end of June, that number had jumped to 576 jobs and payroll expenses had gone up as well, with nearly $625,000 in additional wages paid out versus the previous month.

Right now, many of the cone zones you see driving across the state are a visible example of the 23 projects currently under way or set to begin soon, worth $124.6 million, said Stegman.

Overall, Colorado will get more than $400 million for ARRA road projects and $103 million for road projects.

Another 42 projects are being advertised now with another 29 under contract.

CDOT will choose the contractor, which in turn will then hire the employees.