Trains, Planes & More: PA Officials Praise Biden's Infrastucture Law

COATESVILLE, PA —The Coatesville Train Station provided the perfect backdrop for local, state and federal officials Wednesday to highlight President Biden’s $1 trillion Infrastructure and Jobs Act to rebuild the country’s roads, bridges, broadband and more.

The train station at Third and Fleetwood streets is in the midst of a $65 million upgrade as part of Amtrak’s infrastructure improvements.

Linda Lavender-Norris, council president of Coatesville, said the train station is transforming our community, even in the state that it’s in.

"We stand in position to offer wonderful, livable wage jobs to our residents, which will translate into our youth in school,” Lavender-Norris said at the event.

Mitch Landrieu, White House infrastructure coordinator and senior advisor to Biden, Gov. Tom Wolf, U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, and PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian praised the Biden administration for implementing the act.

Representative of the nonprofit, For Our Future, based in Philadelphia also participated.

The law includes $66 billion for Amtrak to upgrade train service along the eastern seaboard.

Other priorities funded by the law include addressing the aging infrastructure of Philadelphia International Airport, replacing and repairing over 7,540 miles of highway and 3,353 bridges in poor condition in Pennsylvania, providing eligible families $30/month off their internet bills through the Affordable Connectivity Program.

After the event, Houlahan said the just a few months before Hurricane Ida tore through Coatesville, Congress passed the bipartisan Investment and Jobs Act.

"For a community needing to rebuild, these federal resources couldn’t have come soon enough," Houlahan said. "We are now seeing local projects supercharged and slated for construction because of these investments, and today we saw great progress on the Coatesville Train Station."

Gov. Wolf said during the event that the act is transformational for the entire country.

"Infrastructure affects everything we do, from where we live and work, to how we visit our family and friends, to the food we eat and the water we drink," Wolf said.

Gramian said the Coatesville project exemplies the importance in investing in transportation.

"An investment in a safe and reliable transportation network is an investment in ourselves and in each other, and we're grateful for what these new federal funds will bring to our commonwealth," Gramian said.

Based on historic formula funding, the White House anticipates Pennsylvania receiving funding for these improvements:

• $11.3 billion for federal-aid highway apportioned programs and $1.6 billion for bridge replacement and repairs.

• $2.8 billion over five years to improve public transportation options.

• $171 million over five years to support the expansion of an EV charging network.

• A minimum allocation of $100 million to help provide broadband coverage, including providing access to the at least 394,000 Pennsylvanians who currently lack coverage.
• $49 million over five years to protect against wildfires and $26 million to protect against cyber-attacks.
• $1.4 billion over five years to improve water infrastructure and ensure clean, safe drinking water throughout the commonwealth.

• $355 million for infrastructure improvements at airports over the next five years.