What the Infrastructure Bill Would Help Fix First
District of Columbia | September 19, 2021
Transportation officials across the U.S. are gearing up for a potential cash infusion from the infrastructure bill, planning to speed up repairs of century-old bridges, fix rural roads battered by heavy trucks and overhaul a key distribution route for hot dogs and rice cakes.
The Senate passed the roughly $1 trillion bipartisan measure backed by President Biden in August, and a House vote is expected later this month. The bill includes $110 billion in new funding for roads, bridges and major projects over five years, as well as $66 billion for rail and $39 billion for public transit.
If the infrastructure bill passes, drivers should see some ramp-up next year but probably won’t notice major changes until 2023 because of the time required for design work and other early steps, said Alison Premo Black, senior vice president at the American Road and Transportation Builders Association.
“You’re going to see projects that either weren’t going to get done, or weren’t going to get done for another five or six years, that might get done in the next two years,” said Jim Tymon, executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials….
(Excepts from the Wall Street Journal)