PA Senior Senator Secures Key Resources to Improve PA Roads, Bridges
Washington, D.C. – Following the Senate passage of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) is announcing that several key infrastructure provisions he worked to advance have been successfully adopted.
“This vital, bipartisan investment in American communities is long overdue,” said Senator Casey. “Without significant investments in infrastructure for decades, our roads and bridges are crumbling and public transportation is outdated. Too many children and families don’t have access to clean water and both rural and urban communities lack reliable, high-speed internet.
“Today, the Senate came together and made a substantial investment in our communities and our future,” Senator Casey continued. “We have allocated critical funding to make Pennsylvania roads and bridges safer, expand broadband access and improve public transportation, while tackling the climate crisis by prioritizing electric and clean energy. These investments will support the economic growth of small towns across the Nation, and rural and urban areas alike. Now, the Senate has to get to work to pass legislation that will meet the needs of American families by 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, tax cuts for families with kids and paid family and medical leave.”
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 would 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. It will also help lower prices for internet services by offering affordable internet to families who are struggling to afford it and require service providers to make cost information more easily available so families can shop for a better deal.
Developing Pennsylvania’s Clean Energy Options:
- The Infrastructure Investment & 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 makes the largest investment in clean drinking water in American history by replacing all of the Nation’s lead pipes and service lines.
Electrifying School Buses and Improving Air Quality for Children:
- Diesel air pollution is linked to asthma and other health problems that cause children to miss school. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will deliver thousands of electric school buses nationwide, helping school districts buy clean, American-made, zero emission buses.
Reclaiming Abandoned Mines & Plugging Orphaned Wells:
- Abandoned mine land (AML) 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 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.
