A $1.2 trillion infrastructure plan that provides funding for everything from broadband to roads and bridges has, at long last, been enacted by Congress and will soon be signed into law by President Joe Biden.
The historic infrastructure bill, known officially as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), provides more than $500 billion in new spending on everything from broadband internet infrastructure, to roads and bridges. The other $700 billion is a continuation of funding programs and priorities established in the 2015 FAST Act, which has programmed the country’s federal surface transportation spending. The newly passed IIJA is expected to create, on average, 2 million jobs per year over the next decade. What follows is a breakdown of what is included in the legislation.
Roads & Bridges - $150 billion
The largest share of the funding legislation is earmarked for investment in the nation’s aging highways, bridges, and roads. A White House estimate says that 173,000 lane miles, along with 45,000 bridges, are in poor condition. $40 billion alone, the single largest one-time investment ever, will be invested in bridge maintenance or replacement under the IIJA. Ohio has high hopes that the Brent Spence Bridge, which carries I-71 and I-75 from Cincinnati to Covington, KY, will be improved or replaced through the bridge replacement program.
Public Transit - $39 billion
The bill would expand transportation investment by providing funding to state and local governments to buy zero-emission and low-emission buses. The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) estimates that more than 24,000 buses, 5,000 rail cars, and 200 stations (along with thousands of miles of track and power systems) need repair or replacement. These funds will be welcomed in Ohio where the backlog of rolling stock beyond its useful life is still high. However, the state of Ohio will need to continue to allocate state funds to local transit systems.
Passenger & Freight Rail - $66 billion
Amtrak, the nations passenger rail service, would receive significant investment to address its maintenance backlog through the IIJA. The $66 billion investment is the largest the federal passenger rail service has ever received since it was established 50 years ago. Ohio may get increased service on the existing lines that run through northern Ohio and southern Ohio. Advocates hope that the “3C” rail project, that proposed to connect Cincinnati, Columbus, and Cleveland, may be reconsidered with these funds.
Electric Vehicles - $12.5 billion
IIJA invests $7.5 billion for the installation of electric vehicle charging stations around the nation. It would invest a further $5 billion for the purchase of electric and hybrid school buses to replace existing fleets that rely on diesel fuel. Columbus has begun to install EV charging stations, as part of its SmartColumbus project. Expanding charging stations coverage across the state could help to increase EV use.
Broadband Infrastructure - $65 billion
The legislation builds on efforts undertaken at the local level in many places, including Ohio, to improve internet services for rural areas, low-income neighborhoods, and tribal communities. The bulk of that investment will be made available through grants to states.
Electric Grid - $65 billion
An equal share of funding is earmarked for modernizing the national electrical grid. Events earlier this year demonstrate the need to improve the reliability and resiliency of the national power grid, as well as invest in more clean-energy programs. As a legacy state with legacy infrastructure, upgrades to the electric grid will benefit Ohio’s cities, suburbs, and rural areas alike.
Aviation - $25 billion
IIJA invests in improvements to runways, gates, taxiways, and other maintenance issues at the nations airport terminals, as well as improvements to aging air traffic control systems.
Ports - $17 billion
Both freshwater and seaports would see investment in maintenance and modernization. The Port of Conneaut, Port of Ashtabula, Port of Fairport Harbor, Port of Cleveland, Port of Lorain, Port of Huron, Port of Sandusky, Port of Toledo, Port of South Point, and Port of Cincinnati are active freshwater ports that could benefit from this allocation.
Water & Sewer Infrastructure - $80 billion
The bill invests $55 billion on water and wastewater infrastructure, along with $15 billion to replace lead pipes and $10 billion to address water contamination. Lead pipes and water contamination are issues facing legacy cities and rural areas alike in Ohio. There are new state programs to help with water infrastructure replacement, but challenge is mammoth and these extra resources will help.
State by State Investment
Final numbers are not yet available, however an estimate by the White House in August, shortly after the legislation was passed by the U.S. Senate, showed that Ohio was slated to receive nearly $13 billion in total under the IIJA (all estimates are based on population).
GOPC will continue to report on the resources Ohio can expect as the information becomes available.
The below chart shows the numbers for all 50 states + the District of Columbia.
Estimate of funding to states under the bipartisan infrastructure framework. Source: The White House.