Dear neighbors,
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will provide a historic investment in the nation’s infrastructure. That includes funding for roads, bridges, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, transit, rail, airports, and more.
As the chair of the House Transportation Committee, I’m working with experts and lawmakers from around the state on what this funding will mean for Washington.
My committee recently received a briefing from the governor’s office and the state Department of Transportation on this issue.
Here is what we know so far about the national bill:
- $1.2 trillion in total infrastructure spending
- $550 billion in new spending and programs
- New programs and competitive funding
This funding is certainly welcome and will help our state move forward as we transform and modernize our transportation network.
The federal package increases by $1 billion in federal formula funds over the next five years that can be used to repair and replace bridges and maintain and preserve our highways.
Congress also authorized competitive funding for replacing culverts and electrifying ferries. A very important element of the package is a new interstate bridge competitive grant program which could provide much-needed funding for the I-5 Columbia River Bridge.
The federal funds just scratch the surface of addressing our tremendous challenge to provide an adequate transportation infrastructure. We still face tremendous challenges in servicing a skyrocketing population with a transportation system based on a declining revenue source—the gas tax.
I’ll keep working with lawmakers from both parties in the House and Senate on ways to move our state forward toward a cleaner, greener, and more electric future.
P.S. There’s a job opening in my office for a session aide during the 2022 session. The position will run from December 29, 2021 to approximately March 11, 2022. Click this link to read more about the job and how to apply–and if you know anyone who might be a good fit, please forward this to them!