WASHINGTON — Determined to keep showing the economy is on his mind, President Barack Obama is dashing into Ohio for the groundbreaking of a road project, hoping to remind the nation the massive, costly stimulus act is still churning out jobs.

Millions of unemployed people have yet to feel the relief.

Obama was to be on the ground in Ohio for only about 75 minutes today, long enough to celebrate what the White House calls a significant moment: the start of the 10,000th road project launched under the recovery act. The president's message is that a summer season of more help is on the way.

Rather than delegating the symbolic occasion to someone else, Obama is going to display a consistent, public focus on the matter people care about most. The economy remains the top worry of Americans this election year, huge numbers of people think the country is going in the wrong direction, and unemployment hovers close to double digits.

The oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico is consuming Obama's time. He calls it his singular focus, even as he has described economic recovery his top task, too.

Obama's transportation secretary, Ray LaHood, said the personal attention to the stimulus milestone is important.

"The economy is still lousy," LaHood said Thursday. "I mean, we have unemployment around — a little over 9 percent. And all of us believe that the way to get people back to work is to continue our progress on the recovery act."

The president has made a practice of quick trips out of Washington to explain that the economy is growing again and that companies are hiring workers instead of shedding them in mass numbers, as they were when he took office. Each stop is meant to show he is working to help struggling people.

Today's visit will be to the Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, where a $25 million project will add turn and bike lanes and widen sidewalks. It is expected to create 300 jobs.

The splash of attention is part of a broader campaign by Obama's government to promote a burst of jobs-heavy construction activity.