Following is a bullet list of main aspects of the bipartisan infrastructure bill. Please be advised that this list does not go into detail but offers you a quick look at what the government wishes to achieve broadly for it’s citizens.
$110 billion for roads and bridges
$40 billion specifically for the replacement, repair, and rehabilitation of bridges.
There are more than 617,000 bridges across the United States. Currently, 42% of all bridges are at least 50 years old, and 46,154, or 7.5% of the nation’s bridges, are considered structurally deficient, meaning they are in “poor” condition.
$17.5 billion will go toward other major projects that are too large for standard funding programs.
$1 billion toward reconnecting communities that were divided by transportation projects.
The Reconnecting Communities Initiative aims to create a fund that would help cities and states rectify the damage caused by the hundreds of highways built through minority neighborhoods across the country during the middle of the 20th century. The bipartisan infrastructure bill cut it by 95 percent.
$11 billion for traffic safety programs. Safe Streets for All” program to help decrease the number of crashes and deaths associated with roadways and driving, particularly those involving pedestrians and cyclists.
Every year, more than 38,000 Americans die in road crashes, the leading cause of death in the US for people younger than 55. And the past four years for which records exist (2016–19) have been the deadliest for pedestrians since 1990.
$39 billion for public transit. “repair and upgrade aging infrastructure, modernize bus and rail fleets, make stations accessible to all users, and bring transit service to new communities.”
Its goal is to fight the vicious cycle wherein the poor quality of facilities, stations, trains, and buses causes delays, creating an unreliable transit experience that leads to declines in ridership. When ridership declines, transit agencies generate less revenue through fares, meaning they lack the funds to take on the repair and maintenance problems that led to decreased ridership in the first place.
$66 billion for railroads.
That will mean better Amtrak service on existing high-traffic routes (relatively speaking) like Portland–Seattle, Richmond–D.C., and Chicago–Milwaukee. It might mean new service in fast-growing regions, like between Charlotte and Atlanta or Atlanta and Nashville.
$22 billion in grants to Amtrak.
$24 billion toward modernizing the Northeast Corridor.
$12 billion in federal-state partnership grants for intercity rail including high-speed rail.
$5 billion for rail improvement.
$3 billion to improvements in grade crossing safety.
$7.5 billion for electric vehicle infrastructure. Creates a nationwide network of chargers for electric vehicles, both along highways and within local communities.
Such a buildout potentially represents more than triple the number of charging stations in the nation at present. According to the U.S. Department of Energy there are currently about 122,000 charging ports—Level 2 and DC fast-charging connectors that could be used to charge EVs simultaneously. That’s at more than 48,000 station locations.
$2.5 billion for zero-emission buses
$2.5 billion for low-emission buses
$2.5 billion for ferries.
$17 billion for ports and $25 billion for airports. This will help address backlogs for repairs, reduce the level of emissions and congestion near these areas, and help pursue low-carbon and electric technologies.
“Our ports and waterways need repair and reimagination…Modern, resilient, and sustainable port, airport, and freight infrastructure will support U.S. competitiveness by removing bottlenecks and expediting commerce and reduce the environmental impact on neighbouring communities,”
$50 billion for water infrastructure. This should make the country’s water infrastructure more resilient against the effects of climate change, such as droughts and floods, and also cyberattacks.
This is a much-needed step forward in addressing our region’s failing water infrastructure that is threatening the health of our communities,”
$55 billion toward clean drinking water by replacing all of the country’s lead pipes and services lines.
When a person swallows or breathes in lead particles, the body stores the toxin in the blood, bones, and tissues, where it accumulates over time. According to the Centers for Disease Control, there is no safe level of lead exposure. Lead is particularly harmful to children, causing reduced IQ, language development, and attention span, and increased aggression and impulsivity. In addition, prolonged exposure for both children and adults can damage the brain and nervous system, reduce fertility, and increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney disease, and likely even cancer.
$65 billion for the power grid. This will upgrade the electrical grid, including miles of new transmission lines and investments into clean-energy projects.
The nation’s aging transmission and distribution system needs a significant overhaul. Recent events show that the U.S. grid is woefully unprepared to handle cyberthreats and extreme weather events like heat waves or winter storms.
$65 billion for broadband Internet. This will increase needed broadband access across the country by building new infrastructure. It will also support efforts to fund lower cost broadband by “requiring funding recipients to offer a low-cost affordable plan,” and create a permanent program to help low-income households have better access to broadband internet.
The “digital divide” – the persistent U.S. gap between the broadband haves and have-nots – became glaringly obvious during the pandemic as school, work and health care shifted online. Tens of millions either don’t have internet access or, if they do have access to a phone or cable company, can’t afford to pay for it.
$21 billion for environmental remediation. This expenditure will clean up of brownfield and Superfund sites in communities, as well as capping orphaned gas wells and reclaiming abandoned mines.
$21 billion in funds for environmental remediation, including funds to clean up Superfund and brownfield sites, reclaim abandoned mine land, and cap orphaned gas wells. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative—a successful program that fights invasive species, cleans up pollution, and protects the Great Lakes for future generations—will receive $1 billion in funding. The bill aims to create jobs in rural communities that have experienced underdevelopment and remediate sites that have historically affected communities of color at higher rates.
This investments will add, on average, about 2 million jobs per year over the coming decade.
Note: Some politicians claim that this rather large expenditure of money is way too much. A problem with this viewpoint is comparing this national infrastructure improvement expenditure against what the citizens of this country pay for national defense. The 2020 national defense expenditure was $778 billion dollars. The national infrastructure improvement money goes into making the United States a better operational business which we all live for. We are improving where the people live, the peoples country house. National defense is the product you think of when you wish to protect the national house. National defense is similar to buying any home protection plan. The USA’s importance sort of depends upon the value of the nation’s home. Not taking care of the United States infrastructure properly, the nation house, may diminish the property value to the citizens, as we see in many other countries typically led by authoritarian leaders who care about themselves and not the house. We need to continually conduct home maintenance and upkeep. National defense expenditures follows, trails, the need to maintain a properly functioning peoples’s house.
Sorces:
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/bipartisan-infrastructure-deal-whats-in-bill.html
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/08/02/updated-fact-sheet-bipartisan-infrastructure-investment-and-jobs-act/
Posted: November 7, 2021
Updated: November 9, 2021