Biden secures $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. Here’s what it has for California
The big infrastructure bill passed by the House Friday could mean another $5.8 billion over five years in new federal dollars to California, money that will help fix highways rated among the nation’s worst.
The boost in funding, averaging about $1.16 billion per year, would be in addition to $3 billion to $4 billion California usually gets for such programs every year.
The money would come from the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that the House passed late Friday. It now goes to President Joe Biden for his signature.
The bill will aid a wide ranging series of projects. It will help fix the 1,493 bridges that the Federal Highway Administration estimated in June are in poor condition, and it provides funding to help the state and its local government continue to develop programs to make communities more pedestrian and cyclist-friendly.
Caltrans has not yet analyzed the bill’s impact. The estimate of how much California could get for highways comes from the National Asphalt Pavement Association, based on the Senate committee legislation cited in a bill summary.
“This will greatly accelerate this much-needed road work in a way that will be noticed by every Californian in the form of smoother and safer roadways. Helping reduce bottlenecks in our goods-movement network will also increase efficiency and provide a big boost to the state’s economy,” said Russell Snyder, executive director of the California Asphalt Pavement Association.
A quick look at what the bill could mean:
Roads
The American Society of Civil Engineers’ report card on California roads last gave their condition a D. It said they were plagued by “congestion-related delays, traffic collisions, and increased vehicle operating costs caused by poor road conditions.”
The state has moved to ease the problem. In 2017, it began implementing a plan, referred to as Senate Bill 1, to repair and replace deteriorating roads and bridges.
New taxes aimed to raise about $5.4 billion a year, and motor fuel taxes rose. In July, the state’s gasoline tax increased 0.6 cents a gallon to 51.1 cents.
Bridges
The Federal Highway Administration lists 25,737 bridges in the state, and in its June report listed found 5.8% of them in poor condition.
Nineteen of Sacramento County’s 740 bridges were rated poor, with 329 called fair.
Other poor ratings: Fresno County, 48; Stanislaus County, 54; Tulare County, 32; Madera County, 36, Placer County, 11, Yolo County, 12 and San Luis Obispo County, 27.
Bridges classified as poor are not necessarily unsafe, but officials could have to impose restrictions or give those bridges priority for repair or replacement.
Safety
California has had 2.667 motor vehicle deaths in the first eight months of this year, up 23% from the same period in 2020, according to data from the National Safety Council.
The state had 1,026 pedestrian traffic fatalities last year, up six from 2019, according to preliminary estimates by the Governors Highway Safety Association.
A 2017 California law that increased transportation funding provides about $100 million a year to promote safety. The money can be used for cities, counties and regional transportation agencies to build or convert safer bike lanes, crosswalks and sidewalks.
The federal bill could mean more funding for those purposes.
It has an estimated $11 billion to the states for safety-related programs, more than twice the current amount. States with high rates of bicycling and walking fatalities, including California, will now be required to substantially increase safety for pedestrians and cyclists.
This story was originally published November 6, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Biden secures $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. Here’s what it has for California."
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