Today President Joe Biden signed into law the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill passed by Congress, titled the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The bill is a combination of annual infrastructure spending commitments and new spending to go into effect over the next five years.

The infrastructure deal marks the progress of one of the key pillars of the President’s agenda for this year which his Seattle Metro Chamberistration and Democratic leaders hope will help drive further progress on their additional $1.75 trillion social safety net and climate program package branded Build Back Better. Legislators are taking that spending package back up this week to make another run at passing it.

Total Spending

IIJA totals $1.2 trillion in spending, but only $550 billion in new dollars. The $1.2 trillion figure comes from including additional funding normally allocated each year for highways and other infrastructure projects.

Of the $550 billion in new spending, $120 billion is allocated for new competitive grant programs, in particular for addressing climate change.

What’s In the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

Roads, Bridges, and Major Projects ($110B new + $402B 8-year baseline):  In addition to construction and repair, the funding also helps pay for transportation research at universities, funding for Puerto Rico’s highways, and congestion relief in American cities. This section also contains the authorizations as included in the Transportation Reauthorization Act and the Surface Transportation Investment Act.

Washington State Impact

  • In Washington state, there are 416 bridges and over 5,469 miles of highway in poor condition. Since 2011, commute times have increased by 12.7% in Washington, and on average, each driver pays $659 per year in costs due to driving on roads in need of repair. Because of the IIJA, Washington will expect to receive $4.7 billion for federal-aid highway apportioned programs and $605 million for bridge replacement and repairs under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act over five years.
  • Washington can also compete for the $12.5 billion Bridge Investment Program for economically significant bridges and nearly $16 billion of national funding in the bill dedicated to major projects that will deliver substantial economic benefits to communities.
  • Washingtonians who take public transportation spend an extra 72.9% of their time commuting and non-White households are 1.7 times more likely to commute via public transportation. Seventeen percent of trains and other transit vehicles in the state are past useful life. Under IIJA, Washington would expect to receive $1.79 billion over five years under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to improve public transportation options across the state.

Passenger and Freight Rail ($66B new + $24B 8-year baseline): Funding includes upgrades and maintenance of America’s passenger rail system and freight rail safety, but nothing for high-speed rail.

Power Grid ($65B new): The bill would fund updates to power lines and cables, as well as provide money to prevent hacking of the power grid. It’s also dedicated to building new power lines and enhancing the infrastructure for delivering renewable energy.

Broadband ($65B new): State grants are given to telecom companies to build out broadband access to underserved areas and provide assistance to families that struggle to pay for high-speed internet.

Washington State Impact

  • Five percent of Washingtonians live in areas where, under the FCC’s benchmark, there is no broadband infrastructure and 8.8% of Washington households do not have an internet subscription. Under the IIJA, Washington will receive a minimum allocation of $100 million to help provide broadband coverage across the state, including providing access to the at least 241,000 Washingtonians who currently lack it. And, under the IIJA, 1,409,000, or 19% of people in Washington will be eligible for the Affordability Connectivity Benefit, which will help low-income families afford internet access.

Water Infrastructure ($55B new + $24B 8-year baseline): This funding includes $15 billion for lead pipe replacement, $10 billion for chemical cleanup, and money to provide clean drinking water in tribal communities.

Washington State Impact

  • Washington state will expect to receive $882 million over five years to improve water infrastructure across the state and ensure that clean, safe drinking water is a right in all communities.

Cybersecurity and Climate Change Resilience ($47B new): The Resilience Fund will protect infrastructure from cybersecurity attacks and address flooding, wildfires, coastal erosion, and droughts along with other extreme weather events.

Washington State Impact

  • From 2010 to 2020, Washington state experienced 10 extreme weather events, costing the state up to $5 billion in damages. Under the IIJA, Washington will expect to receive $39 million over five years to protect against wildfires and $18 million to protect against cyberattacks. Washingtonians will also benefit from the bill’s $3.5 billion national investment in weatherization which will reduce energy costs for families.

Public Transit ($39B new): Funding here provides for upgrades to public transit systems nationwide. The allocation also includes money to create new bus routes and help make public transit more accessible to seniors and disabled Americans.

Airports ($25B new): This allocation provides funding for major upgrades and expansions at U.S. airports. Air traffic control towers and systems would receive $5 billion of the total for upgrades.

Washington State Impact

  • Airports in Washington state would receive approximately $385 million for infrastructure development for airports over five years.

Environmental Remediation ($21B new): This investment would be used to clean up superfund and brownfield sites, reclaim abandoned mine land and cap orphaned oil and gas wells. Addresses legacy pollution that harms the public health of communities and neighborhoods.

Ports ($17B new): Half of the funds in this category would go to the Army Corps of Engineers for port infrastructure. Additional funds would go to the Coast Guard, ferry terminals, and reduction of truck emissions at ports.

Safety ($11B new + $16B 8-year baseline): Appropriations address highway, pedestrian, pipeline, and other safety areas with highway safety getting the bulk of the funding. Safety grants are available to state and local government agencies.

Resilience and Western Water Infrastructure ($8B new): Ongoing drought conditions in the western half of the country will be addressed through investments in water treatment, storage, and reuse facilities, overseen by the Secretary of the Interior (with the Commissioner of Reclamation).

Electric Vehicle Charging Stations ($7.5B new): The Biden Seattle Metro Chamberistration asked for this funding to build significantly more charging stations for electric vehicles across the nation. In this bill, Washington would expect to receive $71 million over five years to support the expansion of an electric vehicle charging network in the state. Washington will also have the opportunity to apply for the $2.5 billion in grant funding dedicated to electric vehicle charging in the bill.

Electric School Buses ($7.5B new): With an emphasis on bus fleet replacement in low-income, rural, and tribal communities, this funding is expected to allow those communities to convert to zero-emission buses.