ARTBA Provides Hill Update on Third Year of Record Federal Surface Transportation Investments

What happened: Close to 50 Capitol Hill staffers attended a briefing April 22 by ARTBA Senior Vice President and Chief Economist Dr. Alison Black on how record levels of federal funding are reshaping the nation’s surface transportation infrastructure. The briefing debuted a revamped ARTBA dashboard that now includes public transit data in addition to existing data on highway and discretionary grant projects.

Why it matters: The briefing was part of the association’s ongoing effort to make lawmakers aware of the value of continuing federal expenditures on highways, bridges and transit systems. Now in its third year, the 2021 infrastructure law has spurred:

• Job creation: Federal infrastructure spending has helped spike employment at highway, street, and bridge contractors by 41,000 workers since 2021.
• Construction improvements: Almost 5,000 more projects are underway than in the first three years of the prior infrastructure law, including 19,000 bridge upgrades and relief in nine out of 10 traffic bottlenecks.
• Record contract awards: The value of state and local contract awards are breaking records, with highway awards at $91 billon and bridge awards at $30 billion in 2024 alone.

What’s next: ARTBA’s 27-member reauthorization task force is finalizing specific recommendations for the next surface transportation bill, which will center on ways to deliver projects faster in order to maximize continued federal investment. Congress is expected to begin drafting legislation later this year.