$200 Billion Approved for 23,000 Projects Under Infrastructure Law

Biden’s administration approved $23 billion to fund 23,000 infrastructure projects in 4500 jurisdictions across the country by 2022.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a $1.2 trillion spending bill passed by Congress in 2021, authorized the spending. It funds transportation and road projects as well as broadband access and clean water.

“That’s about getting it done and going fast,” Mitchell Landrieu is a senior adviser to President Joe Biden, and the White House’s infrastructure coordinator.

Landrieu was the former mayor of New Orleans and spoke at the American Public Transportation Association convention in Washington, March 13 to highlight progress made in implementing this program.

Mitch Landrieu was the mayor of New Orleans at the time. He spoke during a news conference on October 6, 2017, as Tropical Storm Nate approached New Orleans. (Reuters/Jonathan Bachman)

Landrieu indicated that President Landrieu aims to accelerate the completion of the planned projects in order to avoid wasting historic investments in the nation’s infrastructure. This is in contrast with the bureaucratic delays that are so common in projects involving a wide range of federal, local, and state authorities.

“That means working with everybody and also being on time, on task, and on budget.

“If you are able to remember these things, we can collectively rebuild the country in a manner that has never been done before. We will also prepare America for leading the nation as she always has.”

Approved projects include $700 million for improvements to the 100-year-old Gateway Hudson Tunnel Project In New Jersey, $350 million for the Red Line Extension in Salt Lake City, $6.9 million for battery-powered buses in Detroit, and $19.3 million for electric buses in Atlanta.

The tens of thousands of projects include road resurfacing, expansion of rural internet connectivity, bridge maintenance, airport improvements, highway safety projects, ferry service funding, irrigation systems, and many others in nearly every county in the United States.

In each case, the projects are driven by local needs which require careful coordination to ensure that the money approved in Washington delivers the result desired in each community, Landrieu said.

“If you are in Washington and think you are designing a cow, it should look like one by the time it reaches the ground. You don’t want the pig-shaped design.” Landrieu, who is fond of homespun expressions, said.

“Although it seems simple, it is very difficult to implement. It takes cooperation.” he said. “We have lost the ability to collaborate, coordinate, and communicate.”

“You have to ensure that the federal partners are speaking to their regional directors and talking with the state directors. But they must also make sure [those authorities are] Talking with the counterparts from both the state and regional governments.”

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