Nebraska will receive at least $3 billion in federal funding through the newly signed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Neil Bradley is the EVP and Chief Policy Officer with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and says, “This is the largest investment in our nation’s hard infrastructure since Dwight D. Eisenhower was president and helped create the modern interstate highway system.”
This bill will help Nebraska address some of the most critical infrastructure needs that includes most forms of transportation, broadband for rural areas, clean drinking water and improved wastewater systems to prevention against cyber attacks.
Nebraska will receive:
Roads: $2.2 billion in highway funding – a 47% increase
Bridges – $225 million to replace and repair bridges. 9% are in poor condition
Broadband – 13% of Nebraskans lack access to high speed internet. The bill will allocate $100 million to the state to upgrade that access.
Drinking and Wastewater – Nebraska has a $1.6 billion drinking water investment gap. This bill provides $358 million to improve those systems statewide
Airports – Nebraska’s 9 major airports will receive $111 million in investments
Resiliency – $16.6 million for fire resiliency and $12.7 million to protect against cyber attacks
Transit – $186 million to improve public transportation options across the state.
Bradley says, “This is money that will be available to them starting frankly the next construction season. With respect to broadband, some of the water and airport money, that will start flowing into the states for the state to allocate”.