The $1.2 trillion bipartisan plan spends a little money in a lot of places, but misses key opportunities to make transformative change. Recently, we discussed three things that the $ 1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure plan, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), should help address. Our roads, bridges, airports, waterways and connected infrastructure will receive $550 billion in new infrastructure spending over the next five years, giving each sector a much needed boost. But is it enough? Many say no. The plan’s passage through the Senate was a great compromise for our lawmakers in Washington and will be a huge win for the construction industry if passed by the House. It spreads some money over vast areas of the federal government, but in doing so doesn’t invest anywhere in a truly meaningful way. For example, the bill includes huge increases in rail, to the tune of $66 billion, but not enough to install high-speed rail across the country. It increases investment in water (at $55 billion) but that’s not enough to fully upgrade all our out dated systems. The overall package includes $40 billion in dedicated resources for bridge repair, replacement and rehabilitation, which is the single largest dedicated bridge investment since the construction of the interstate highway system BUT a recent estimate for the nation’s backlog of bridge repair needs is $125 billion, well over the funds allotted in this plan. READ FULL ARTICLE>>
