Flickr photo/ADOT
By Danny Shapiro | KTAR
In a vital step forward Tuesday, the Senate approved a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure plan that will allocate plenty of money to Arizona.
The plan will provide funds to rebuild roads and bridges, and also to shore up coastlines against climate change, protect public utility systems from cyberattacks and modernize the electric grid.
Public transit, airports and freight rail will also get boosts under the plan, which now moves to the House.
Here’s a breakdown of some of the expected funding for the Grand Canyon State:
$5 billion
The highest allocation is for major highway projects in conjunction with the Arizona Department of Transportation. U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, in his maiden speech on the Senate floor last week, noted paving roads on Navajo Nation and widening Interstate 10 between Phoenix and Tucson as major projects he’d like to be done with the money.
$884 million
Public transportation systems in Arizona would get a hefty boost. Valley Metro in the Phoenix area would get about $500 million. SunTran in Tucson would be allocated $118 million, while YCAT in Yuma would receive $21 million. Other Arizona transit systems would get money as well.
Related Links: Sinema touts bipartisan victory after Senate OKs infrastructure bill
O’Halleran made relatively modest use of earmarks
Phoenix is also the largest city in the contiguous United States that doesn’t have passenger train service but plans are in the works for that to change. Amtrak wants to line up a three-times-daily roundtrip between Phoenix and Tucson that could begin service in as little as three years. Funding would come from the infrastructure plan.
$547 million
Land ports of entry on Arizona’s southern border would get a massive facelift. The current Douglas Port of Entry would get $184 million for rehabilitation, while a new port of entry in Douglas would get $216 million. The San Luis Port of Entry would take in $147 million. All of those projects would be fully funded by the plan.
$290.4 million
Arizona would be allocated $210.8 million annually from the EPA’s Drinking Water State Revolving Loan fund, which provides funding to help public and private drinking water systems finance significant infrastructure investments.
An additional $79.6 million would be allotted annually for Arizona from the EPA’s Clean Water State Revolving Loan Fund, which provides funding to help public wastewater systems finance significant infrastructure investments.
$225 million
Bridge replacement and repair is another necessity addressed in the plan. The allocation would create a Bridge Investment Program in Arizona, which has 132 structurally deficient bridges.
$100 million
A nine-figure investment in affordable, high-speed internet access would be part of the plan. Some funding would be set aside for states like Arizona, which have a number of rural communities where construction costs for broadband projects are higher.
A permanent Affordable Connectivity Benefit program would provide a $30 a month voucher to low-income families to be used to afford internet access.
