The $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) doesn’t go far enough in fixing the nation’s infrastructure problem. For example, the bill allocates $40 billion for bridge repair, but a recent estimate says we need $125 billion. Another example is the Highway Trust Fund, which uses the gas tax to pay for roads, bridges and highways. The IIJA doesn’t resolve the issue of its underfunding. Workforce development is a problem given current labor shortages, but the IIJA doesn’t address it adequately. A final issue is that the IIJA doesn’t do nearly enough to clear the maintenance backlog.
Key Takeaways:
- Congress is passing an infrastructure bill that will give money to road works, waterways, and more.
- While the bill does invest in public works, the investments are not always enough to make a difference.
- The bill also does not offer enough solutions to fix the workforce issue.
“The bill does include a pilot program on a gas tax alternative that would charge users based on vehicle miles traveled. But for the most part, Congress has punted the user fee issue yet again when they had a real opportunity to create a longterm fix.”