29,000 New Transportation Projects Started in Year-One of Infrastructure Law, New ARTBA Report Shows

What happened: States leveraged $53.5 billion in highway and bridge formula funds to support over 29,000 new projects during the first year of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), an ARTBA review of U.S. Treasury Department data through Sept. 30 shows. The data, which includes state-by-state and congressional district-level information about the number and location of these projects, can be found on the association’s Highway Dashboard, which has received almost 1,800 visitors since its launch Nov. 15.

Why it’s important: As ARTBA Chief Economist Dr. Alison Premo Black explains: ‘A key takeaway from the Treasury data is that the bipartisan infrastructure law is working in year-one as intended, with state transportation departments disbursing their funds and projects breaking ground.’

Nearly 90 percent of IIJA’s highway funds are dispersed by existing formula to states, with the remainder distributed through discretionary grant awards and other allocated programs. The economic and quality of life benefits of the infrastructure law will become even more apparent as funding continues in coming years.

What’s next: ARTBA will be updating the Highway Dashboard regularly as new data becomes available. The association is also sharing this resource with members of Congress and their staffs, and with administration officials.