Washington
CNN
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More than 40,000 projects have received federal funding from the $1.2 trillion infrastructure law signed by President Joe Biden two yeas ago. But many Americans may not have noticed the impact of the historic investment just yet.
Construction hasn’t started in many places and signs of the nation’s aging infrastructure continue to make the news. Just this year, Vermont’s roadways were no match for historic rainfall that stranded residents and shut down businesses, and a train derailment in Ohio spewed poisonous fumes into the air and killed thousands of fish.
The Biden administration is eager to show the impact the law – which garnered bipartisan support in Congress – is having ahead of the 2024 election, putting up signs along roadways claiming credit for projects across the country and billboards celebrating the two-year anniversary.
The law provides funding not only for roads and bridges, but also to create a nationwide network of electric vehicle chargers, increase access to high-speed internet, improve public transportation and upgrade ports.
It’s too early to know the full impact the additional infrastructure spending will have on the US economy. The federal government has until 2026 to disburse the money, and some massive projects will take more time to be completed.
Here are five projects that have received money from the law so far:
A bright red, spaceship-looking Terminal E reopened earlier this year at Boston Logan International Airport after undergoing a number of renovations, with funding assistance from a $62 million grant from the infrastructure law.
Construction at Terminal E began in 2019, prior to the law’s passage, adding four new gates. Upgrades were also made to the HVAC system, the ticket area, the baggage claim area and jet bridges.
Some of the federal grant is also being used to improve the arrival roadways for Terminals A and E and the roadway between Terminals C and E.
The airport received the grant last year from the infrastructure law’s Airport Terminals Program, which will award $1 billion each year for five years.
From WisDOT
The I-39/90/94 bridge, which crosses the Wisconsin River, is set to be replaced.
The I-39/90/94 bridge that spans the Wisconsin River in Columbia County will be replaced with two new bridge spans thanks to $80 million from the federal infrastructure law. Construction is expected to begin next year.
The bridge is nearing the end of its “operational life,” according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Two overcrossing bridges for county roads U and V will also be replaced.
About 23% of the current bridge traffic is composed of trucks, since the route links economic hubs like Milwaukee, Chicago and Wisconsin’s capital city of Madison, which is about a 45-minute drive to the south of the I-39/90/94 bridge.
The route also connects major tourism destinations, with a large share of Wisconsin’s tourism revenue coming from nearby counties.
The bridge is one of the few that cross the Wisconsin River in the southeast part of the state, according to the Wisconsin DOT.
Dedicated electric bus lanes running in and out of Park City, Utah
AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images/Getty Images
Park City Main Street Historic District on May 29, 2021, in Park City, Utah.
Free electric bus service is already provided through Park City, a popular Utah ski town. The trip, which runs from the historic district to the Kimball Junction neighborhood, is intended to take 10 to 15 minutes. But the buses are delayed about one-third of the time due to traffic congestion.
To make the route more efficient, local officials have been considering adding dedicated bus lanes along State Route 224 since 2018. Earlier this…
Read More: Bipartisan infrastructure law: 5 projects that got money