There’s been a lot of buzz recently about the new administration’s INVEST in America Act. While we won’t dive into the politics, we thought it would be helpful to break down some of the key points addressing improvements to our nation’s roads and highways.
What does it stand for?
INVEST in America is short for “Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America” Act. Kudos for the clever acronym.
What does it do?
INVEST in America is a 5-year, $494 billion investment in rebuilding and transforming our existing infrastructure. The Act will authorize funds for Federal-aid highways, highway safety, rail, transit, and many other programs related to surface transportation. In addition to rebuilding infrastructure that is “smarter, safer, and made to last”, it is also intended to generate millions of jobs, support American manufacturing, and spur economic activity.
Where does the money go?
The $494 billion will be broken down as follows:
- $319 billion will go to Highway Investments
- $105 billion will go to Transit Investments
- $10 billion will go to Passenger Vehicle and Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Investments
- $60 billion will go to Rail Investments
Within each category, each budget is allocated further. But we won’t bore you with numbers.
What does it mean for roads?
According to Department of Transportation, funds for highway investments will:
- Address the broken, outdated infrastructure by improving existing roads and bridges before building new highways.
- Allocate funding for infrastructure where gridlock and traffic bottlenecks are major issues.
- Measure and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fund infrastructure than can withstand the effects of climate change
- Develop more charging stations for electric and zero-emission vehicles.
- Require that states with the highest pedestrian and bicyclist deaths address the problem through developing active transportation networks and establishing safe routes for school.
- Fund technology to create smarter, more efficient transportation systems, especially for green materials and construction research.
In addition to improving roads and highways, funds will also address rail, transit, and vehicle safety. Some other interesting sections covered in the bill include:
Section 1107: Complete and context sensitive street design
This section revises roadway design standards require agencies to consider ALL users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, public transit users, children, older individuals, individuals with disabilities, motorists, and freight vehicles. Projects should not take a “one size fits all” approach but should instead tailor designs to the context (both present and future) of the facility.
Section 1112: Buy America
Buy America, not to be confused with the Buy American Act, refers to the restrictions set in place for sourcing specifically road and highway surface transportation materials. For any projects funded at least in part by the Federal Government, preference must be given to materials produced domestically. The INVEST act adds “construction materials” to the Buy America Act, and requires public transparency before the Buy America requirements are waived.
Section 1205: Surface transportation program
This section increases the diversity of projects that can receive funding from the Surface Transportation Program, including resilience improvements, reducing carbon pollution, building wildlife crossings, and increasing bus frequency. This sections also allows up to 15% of Surface Transportation Funds to be allocated to local or rural roads, especially those that provide farm to market access.
Sec. 1302. Community transportation investment grant program.
This section establishes a $600 million per year grant program to support local investments in projects to improve safety, state of good repair, accessibility, and environmental quality through infrastructure investments. This allows communities to pursue local projects.
We’re hopeful that the act will provide states with the necessary funding to improve roads across the nation. You can read all 54 pages of the INVEST in America Act here.