What Arizona Can Expect From $1T Infrastructure Bill

ARIZONA — The U.S. House of Representatives voted late Friday to pass the $1 trillion infrastructure bill, one of two key parts of President Joe Biden’s domestic agenda. The House voted 228-206 to pass the bill, which now goes to Biden’s desk for his signature. The bill had already cleared passage in the U.S. Senate in August.

The bill makes key investments in the nation’s ailing infrastructure, providing funding for public transit, federal railways, roads, bridges, clean drinking water, high speed internet, investment in electric vehicles and more, according to a fact sheet provided by the White House.

Biden hailed the bill’s passage on Saturday, calling it a “monumental step forward.”

Sen. Mark Kelly was a member the bipartisan group in the Senate that reached the $1.2 trillion infrastructure agreement. According to a press statement, Kelly helped to draft portions of the legislation, "including those focusing on water and power infrastructure, superfunds and brownfields, permitting, and wildfire mitigation."

“This is a big deal for Arizona," Kelly said in the statement. "This bipartisan infrastructure legislation will bring high-paying jobs to Arizona, fix our roads and bridges, expand high-speed internet access, upgrade our ports of entry in San Luis and Douglas, make Arizona more resilient to wildfires, and help us address this twenty year drought by improving our water infrastructure. These investments are long overdue, and today, they are one step closer to reaching our state.”

A brownfield is a previously developed but currently unused plot of land that may have contaminated soil.

U.S. Rep. Debbie Lesko, a Republican who represents Arizona's District 8, disagreed with Kelly's positive characterization of the bill.

“While our nation is in need of infrastructure improvements to our roads, bridges, highways, railways, power, and water systems, this bill simply missed the mark," Lesko said in a statement. "The spending in this bill is not paid for and will add to our national debt, plus only a low percentage of the bill is actually spent on real infrastructure needs. Amid increased inflation and economic conditions that are threatening the pocketbooks of American families, we cannot be spending so recklessly.”

Among the funds earmarked in the bill, here’s what Arizona can expect to receive over the next five years:

• $5 billion for federal-aid highway apportioned programs and $225 million for bridge replacement and repairs with a focus on climate change mitigation, resilience, equity, and safety for everyone who uses them, including bicyclists and pedestrians.
• $884 million to improve public transportation options across the state.
• $76 million to support the expansion of an electric vehicle charging network across Arizona.
• At least $100 million to supply broadband coverage across the state.
• $38 million to protect against wildfires.
• $17 million to protect against cyberattacks.
• $619 million to improve water infrastructure and ensure clean, safe drinking water in all communities.
• $348 million for infrastructure development at Arizona airports.