On November 15, 2021, President Joe Biden signed the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) into law. The IIJA included a five-year transportation authorization for U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) programs, plus a standalone infrastructure law representing the largest-ever infusion ($643 billion over five years) of federal funding for surface transportation, including highways, roads, and bridges. The White House hailed the IIJA as “a once-in-a-generation investment in our nation’s infrastructure and competitiveness,” along with making lofty promises that it would “repair and rebuild our roads and bridges with a focus on climate change mitigation, resilience, equity, and safety for all users.”
A new report from Transportation for America, Fueling the Crisis, found that in the first three years of the IIJA, a significant amount of funding has gone to road expansion projects that will do little to save taxpayers time and money—and will likely increase harmful emissions.
Congress: Three things that can be accomplished during the next reauthorization
A top responsibility of the 119th Congress will be to draft a bill to replace the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which expires in 2026. With the existing program failing to move us in the right direction for repair, safety, and transportation options, Congress needs to think big and reorient the federal surface transportation program to ensure that taxpayers’ dollars efficiently advance the goals that matter.
