November 15, 2021
LANSING, Mich. – Lance Binoniemi, vice president of government affairs at the Michigan Infrastructure & Transportation Association, issued the following statement after President Joe Biden signed the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law today:
“President Biden’s signature on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is an important step toward making needed investments in our infrastructure system. We want to thank Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, and Michigan’s congressional delegation that supported the plan, including Representatives Debbie Dingell, Dan Kildee, Brenda Lawrence, Andy Levin, Elissa Slotkin, Haley Stevens, and Fred Upton.
“The plan will invest nearly $7.3 billion in Michigan road construction over the next five years – an increase of just over $1.7 billion compared to what our state received in federal funds over the previous five years. Michigan will also receive $563 million for bridge replacement and repair.
“Unfortunately, we’re still a long way off from meeting the sustained funding levels needed to address our infrastructure challenges. While this funding boost will help tackle the difficult and oftentimes dangerous problems we face when dealing with our roads and bridges, a long-term solution beyond these five years continues to be needed. A sustained appropriate investment in ongoing maintenance of our infrastructure network would not only repair the poor bridges, roads, and sewer systems in our communities, but prevent dangerous conditions from happening in the first place.
“With the package signed by President Biden today, we are also happy to see a boost in funding for our underground infrastructure. As we’ve all been reminded again this summer, sewers and drains are a critical piece of Michigan’s infrastructure network that impacts many Michiganders when those systems fail. Flooded highways and basements have unfortunately become all too common. The $1.3 billion included in the federal infrastructure plan for underground infrastructure will help to provide necessary upgrades and repairs for drains and pipes.
“We’re grateful to our leaders in Washington for stepping up to address our infrastructure issues. We hope that this moment serves as a catalyst to securing the investments needed at the state and federal level for the long term to get Michigan back on track with its wide-spread infrastructure needs. While Michigan’s needs are great, this is a welcome step towards addressing them.”
For more information about the state’s unmet infrastructure needs, visit FixMIState.org.
