The U.S. House of Representatives on Nov. 5 passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, sending to President Joe Biden’s desk for approval. The Senate passed its infrastructure bill in August.
The act passed in the House by a vote of 228-206. President Biden is expected to sign the bill.
According to a report on CNBC.com, the act would make $550 billion available for transportation projects, the utility grid and broadband. That includes $110 billion for roads, bridges and other projects, $66 billion for passenger and freight rail, and $39 billion for public transit, according to the report.
The New York Post reported that the bill provides $8 billion for the Gateway Project in New York, which includes a new tunneling spanning the Hudson River. In all, the bill provides $66 billion in funding for Amtrak, including $30 billion for Northeast Corridor projects, the Post reported.
Additionally, the bill provides more than $50 billion for clean water projects, EPA reported.
“Late Friday night, after years of advocacy by NUCA members, the U.S. House passed on a 228-206 a historic milestone for our nation’s water infrastructure. Never before has the American utility construction industry been given by Congress resources of this magnitude to improve thousands of communities across America,” Doug Carlson, CEO of the National Utility Contractors Association (NUCA), said in a statement.
“Our member’s visits to lawmakers this week urging this bill’s enactment paid dividends to this nation that will be realized across the 21st century. With this legislation enacted into law, we can repair broken water mains, replace harmful lead service pipes, build new water systems, and deliver clean water to millions of American citizens. And this bill will expand access to high-speed broadband to households and businesses across the country.
“This bill and its funding resources are an extraordinary achievement. Our industry is grateful for the work of House infrastructure leaders such as Reps. Peter DeFazio and Frank Pallone, Jr., who supported this bill and our industry members throughout this fight. We’re eager to begin work on building the subsurface infrastructure strengthening our nation’s economic foundations of the next 100 years.”
