BILLIONS ALLOCATED

to Target the Nation’s Aging Transportation Infrastructure

What is the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act?

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), enacted in November 2021, provides more than $1.0 trillion in funding to improve essential infrastructure in the transportation, power and grid, aviation, environmental remediation, and water sectors. Funding is provided through formula grants, loans, and competitive grant opportunities and includes $550 billion of new federal spending. Local governments, in particular, have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to restore their foundations and energize their communities by using the funds to build, repair and reinvigorate infrastructure that has been deteriorating for decades.

The IIJA is expected to bring much-needed investment in the country’s aging infrastructure, with significant dollars committed to addressing deteriorating transportation infrastructure, including roads and bridges.

Investing in Transportation

A significant component of the IIJA is an investment in the nation’s transportation infrastructure which has lacked adequate funding for decades. It is clear this funding is long overdue, with a considerable portion of the transportation infrastructure in the U.S. in poor condition. According to the most recent American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Report Card for America’s Infrastructure (2021), 43 percent of our roadways are in poor or mediocre condition. In addition, 42 percent of all bridges are at least 50 years old, resulting in nearly 50,000 bridges considered structurally deficient or in need of urgent rehabilitation or replacement. Bridges in poor condition pose heightened challenges in rural communities, which often depend on a single bridge for access to essential services, school bus routes, and emergency service vehicle routes. There is also a growing need to design and build adequate infrastructure for fueling and charging the growing number of electric vehicles as well as challenges related to climate resiliency, community equity, ensuring mobility for individuals of all abilities, and congestion-related safety.

The IIJA reauthorizes Federal surface transportation programs for five years and invests approximately $400 billion over that period to repair our roads and bridges and support transformational projects, increase regional and national economic opportunities, and make our transportation system safer and more resilient. Roads and bridges must carry goods and people safely and efficiently, and they must also be resilient to changes in our climate and promote equity in our communities. Funding dispersal focuses on four primary areas: safety, modernization, climate, and equity. All infrastructure improvements will be informed by these key factors.