The White House is stepping up its efforts to promote the bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure bill and highlighting its effort to renovate roads, bridges and airports and reduce emissions.
US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will make a four-day, six-state tour beginning Tuesday, visiting Florida, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Ohio, Nevada and New Hampshire to discuss infrastructure law.
Buttigieg will tout the grants approved in the November 2021 infrastructure bill, including $12 million for the Port of Tampa, $20 million to help complete the Nevada Pacific Parkway connection and expand the capacity of dual access to the Union Pacific Railroad UNP.N and Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail lines and $24.5 million to rebuild highways and roads that connect to a major value park in Ohio.
“This is a transformative bill,” White House infrastructure coordinator Mitch Landrieu said in an interview with Reuters this week, noting that it will also fund public land, clean water and power grid projects.
US agencies are working closely with states and cities on many funding programs. If states “are slow in coming, we get on the phone and call everyone. We want to tell them again: We’re trying to get you this money. How can we help?”
This week, the Department of Transportation announced $1.66 billion in grant awards for 1,800 new buses, including $116 million for New York City to purchase 230 battery electric buses to replace aging diesel units and $280,000 for Fayetteville, North Carolina to purchase three light transit vehicles.
Last week, the Department of Transportation awarded $2.2 billion in grants to upgrade highways, bridges and other projects, including $25 million for California’s high-speed rail program.
