PA senior Senator secures resources to improve PA roads, bridges and more
Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) released the following statement after President Biden signed the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law. The law will bring billions of dollars to Pennsylvania to improve roads and bridges, increase access to public transportation, build out clean energy infrastructure, expand broadband and more.
“Today, President Biden fulfilled his promise to the American people by signing the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law. This bipartisan legislation will make transportation easier, safer and more sustainable. It will expand broadband access, invest in climate mitigation and provide many Pennsylvanians with clean drinking water. These investments will support the economic growth of small towns across the Nation, and rural and urban areas alike. Next, the Senate has to finish work on legislation to support families and address the rising costs that they face, such as investing in home and community-based services for seniors and people with disabilities, raising wages for home care workers, expanding access to early childhood education and affordable child care, cutting taxes for families with kids and lowering health care costs,” said Senator Casey.
Repairing Roads and Bridges
- In Pennsylvania, there are more than 3,300 bridges and over 7,540 miles of highway in poor condition. Since 2011, commute times have increased by 7.6% in Pennsylvania, and on average, each driver pays $620 per year in costs due to driving on roads in need of repair. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will send $11.3 billion to Pennsylvania for federal-aid highway programs and $1.6 billion for bridge replacement and repairs over 5 years.
Improving Sustainable Transportation
- Pennsylvania can expect $2.8 billion over five years to improve public transportation across the Commonwealth, meaning reliable transit for workers and families.
Expanding Broadband
- Under this legislation, Pennsylvania will receive a minimum of $100 million to help provide broadband coverage to the more than 390,000 Pennsylvanians currently living without it, while another $37 billion will be allocated across the Nation—including in Pennsylvania—utilizing a needs-based formula. Among other critical broadband provisions, this legislation will also provide $30 monthly broadband subsidies for families struggling to afford reliable broadband service.
Developing Pennsylvania’s Clean Energy Options
- The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provides funding for the first-ever national network of electric vehicle (EV) chargers, including $171 million for Pennsylvania to expand its EV charging network and lead efforts to address the climate crisis and support American manufacturing jobs.
Replacing Lead Pipes and Delivering Clean Drinking Water
- Too many families don’t have access to clean drinking water. According to recent studies, Pennsylvania has roughly 160,000 lead service lines. This legislation would send $1.4 billion to Pennsylvania to replace lead pipes, improve water infrastructure and deliver clean, safe drinking water across the Commonwealth.
Advancing Climate Adaptation, Mitigation and Resilience
- Communities across the Nation have experienced the increasingly dire effects of the climate crisis, such as floods, heat waves and droughts. From 2010 to 2020, Pennsylvania has experienced 37 of these extreme weather events, costing the state up to $10 billion in damages. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provides a $50 billion investment to enhance our Nation’s resilience to extreme weather events. Further, Pennsylvanians will benefit from the more than $3 billion national investment in energy efficiency and weatherization programs, which will reduce energy costs and improve families’ health and safety.
Improving Airports
- Under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, airports in Pennsylvania would receive approximately $355 million for infrastructure development over five years.
Reclaiming Abandoned Mines & Plugging Orphaned Wells
- Abandoned mine land problem areas have been identified in 43 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, accounting for more than $1 billion of high-priority reclamation needs across the Commonwealth. Under this legislation, Pennsylvania is expected to receive more than $3 billion to assist with abandoned mine reclamation. Additionally, this bill authorizes $4.7 billion nationwide to plug, remediate and reclaim orphaned wells. There are at least 8,000 documented orphan wells in Pennsylvania that will be able to be addressed under this program.
