Resource Center: Roads & Bridges

Overview

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) contains a five-year, $383.4 billion reauthorization of federal surface transportation, highway safety, transit, and rail programs for fiscal years (FY) 2022 through 2026, representing an increase of over 30% from funding levels included in the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. The surface transportation reauthorization is combined with a number of new grant programs, as well as increased funding for existing programs, bringing a historic $567 billion in Highway Trust Fund and General Fund resources to the Department of Transportation (DOT) over the next five years.

FHWA presentation
FHWA IIJA Portal
AASHTO Comprehensive Analysis of the IIJA
US DOT State fact sheets: https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/usdot-releases-state-state-fact-sheets-highlighting-benefits-bipartisan

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Legislation Summary

The authorization for the main federal-aid highway programs would be $52.5 billion in FY 2022, increasing 2% every year and reaching $56.8 billion in FY 2026, from the Highway Trust Fund (HTF). The five-year total would be $273.2 billion in formula funds.

The IIJA also includes an additional $110 billion in appropriations for road and bridge programs on top of the surface transportation reauthorization funding, including $40 billion for the bridge investment program.

Topline funding for the surface transportation reauthorization includes:

$148 billion ($116.3 billion under the FAST Act) for the National Highway Performance Program (NHPP);
$64.8 billion ($58.2 billion under the FAST Act) for the Surface Transportation Block Grant Program (STBG);
$15.5 billion ($11.5 billion under the FAST Act) for the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP);
$1.2 billion ($1.1 billion under the FAST Act) for Railway-Highway Grade Crossings;
$13.2 billion ($12 billion under the FAST Act) for the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program (CMAQ);
$2.2 billion ($1.7 billion under the FAST Act) for the Metropolitan Planning Program;
$7.1 billion ($6.2 billion under the FAST Act) for the National Highway Freight Program (NHFP);
$7.2 billion ($4.2 billion under the FAST Act) for Transportation Alternatives/STBG Program Set-Aside.

Through the legislation, DOT launched the Bridge Replacement, Rehabilitation, Preservation, Protection, and Construction Program. Administered by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the program over five years provides $26.5 billion to states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico and $825 million for tribal transportation facilities. For FY 2022, the total amount available for states, D.C., and Puerto Rico is $5.3 billion, while the total amount available to tribes is $165 million.

The IIJA requires DOT to update the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. The required update will provide for the protection of vulnerable road users, support the safe testing of automated vehicle technology and any preparation necessary for the safe integration of automated vehicles onto public streets, and guide appropriate use of variable message signs. It also incorporates recommendations issued by the National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices that have not yet been incorporated.

Beyond funding included in the surface transportation reauthorization, the bill includes over $100 billion in competitive grants, which will be given out under the discretion of DOT. This funding does not include the regular cycles of Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grants, Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) funding, and discretionary bus grants. Instead, these grants are one-time appropriations, over and above regular grants distributed by the DOT.

A full list of additional appropriations for DOT grants to state and local governments for roads and bridges includes:

$5 billion for National Infrastructure Project Assistance, or megaprojects. Projects can range from highway and bridge projects; intermodal freight, including rail and ports; and intercity passenger rail;
$7.5 billion for Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grants for local and regional project assistance;
$5 billion for Safe Streets and Roads for All;
$1 billion for National Culvert Removal, Replacement, and Restoration;
$500 million for Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) grants;
$27.5 billion in formula funding for the bridge program at the Federal Highway Administration, plus another $9.2 billion in competitive grants;
$12.5 billion to establish a competitive Bridge Investment Program to address the national backlog of bridge repair and rehabilitation projects;
$5 billion in formula funding for electric vehicle charging infrastructure;
$3.2 billion for INFRA grants;
$150 million for the reduction of truck emissions in ports;
$1 billion for Reconnecting Communities;
$1.2 billion for Appalachian Highways;
$500 million to establish Transportation Resilience and Adaptation Centers of Excellence;
$10 million to establish a new rural assistance program through the Build America Bureau.

To address infrastructure resiliency, the IIJA:

Creates the Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation (PROTECT) program. The new program would fund improvements to make infrastructure more resilient to storms and natural disasters and would receive $1.4 billion annually over five years. The law also authorizes $500 million over five years to establish Transportation Resilience and Adaptation Centers of Excellence to study how to make transportation more resilient to extreme weather and climate change.
Provides $100 million annually over five years for the Safeguarding Tomorrow through Ongoing Risk Mitigation (STORM) Act. ASCE strongly advocated for increased appropriations for the STORM Act, which was enacted earlier this year and created a Resilience Revolving Loan Fund.
Makes an additional $1 billion available in grants for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Program. BRIC, which ASCE continues to strongly advocate for, is FEMA’s pre-disaster hazard mitigation program that replaces the existing Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) program.

Report Card Wins

The passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act – IIJA – represents a historic, once-in-a-generation investment in our roads, bridges, water and wastewater networks, ports, electric grid, dams, and more. It increases funding, makes smart improvements to policy such as streamlining permitting, and creates new programs targeted at all 17 categories in the 2021 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure. The bill is a significant down payment on the $2.5 trillion infrastructure investment gap that was identified in the 2021 Report Card and will benefit American businesses and families for years to come.

In the roads and bridges categories, the IIJA addresses eight of the recommendations ASCE made to raise the grades in these categories. The goals include increasing funding, focusing resources on preserving roads in a state of good repair, and prioritizing the rehabilitation and preservation of bridges in fair condition, as these bridges can often be preserved at a fraction of the cost of replacement if the work is performed in a timely manner. This work should be done in coordination with the acceleration of the development and deployment of new technologies that promote an integrated, multimodal transportation system.

The IIJA addresses many of ASCE’s recommendations by including the five-year, $383.4 billion reauthorization of core federal highway and bridge programs, which represents an increase of over 30% from FAST Act funding levels. Also, the IIJA includes a new Prioritization Process Pilot Program to help with the allocation of resources.