It’s not official. The $1 trillion infrastructure bill still has to pass in the House of Representatives. And then there’s the matter of an additional $3.5 trillion spending plan that focuses on education, child care, health care and climate change — and surely will be met by a fight from Republicans.
But the fact remains, New Jersey is closer than ever to getting the funding to build the Gateway Tunnel project under the Hudson River — and a whole bunch of funding that would help roads and bridges and New Jersey Transit. The bill could be worth a total of $12.3 billion to the state.
For those reasons, U.S. Sens. Bob Menendez and Cory Booker (both D-N.J.), as well as a whole host of elected officials and union leaders, celebrated the passing of the bill in the U.S. Senate.
“The passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is great news for the people of New Jersey and the nation at large,” Menendez said. “We have turned President (Joe) Biden’s pledge to ‘Build Back Better’ from a slogan into a once-in-a-generation investment that will put millions of people to work building a more competitive, equitable and sustainable economy for the 21st century.”
Booker said the bill is a win-win.
“This landmark legislation will help create millions of good-paying jobs throughout our country, strengthen our national security and bolster our economy — making us more economically competitive with other nations,” he said.
Specifically, the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 will include the following, according to Menendez and Booker:
- $66 billion for passenger and freight rail, including $30 billion in dedicated funding for Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor that will address the region’s backlog of repairs and improve service;
- $39.2 billion of new investments over baseline funding, for a total of $89.9 billion to modernize transit;
- $111 billion in new investments in roads and bridges, including a $40 billion dedicated program to rebuild our nation’s aging bridges, $16 billion for major projects and a new program for reconnecting communities that have been historically divided by transportation infrastructure;
- $250 million over five years for a new, decentralized wastewater systems grant program for the construction and refurbishment of individual household decentralized wastewater systems for low- and moderate-income individuals;
- A toll credit exchange pilot program that will allow New Jersey to potentially sell excess toll credits in order to increase investment in the state’s transportation infrastructure;
- $350 million over five years for a wildlife crossing safety program;
- $400 million over five years to create a new grant program that will reduce emissions from seaports;
- Provisions that ensure certain privately-owned ferry boats and terminals that are deemed essential to a region’s transportation network are eligible for Surface Transportation Block Grant funding so ferry operators in the state are able to provide critical transportation options for commuters.
Booker said the time has come.
“After months of bipartisan negotiations, I applaud the Senate for passing the most extensive infrastructure investment our country has seen in decades,” he said.
“New Jersey and our country badly need federal investment to modernize our nation’s rail and transit systems, repair our crumbling roads and tunnels and deteriorating water systems, strengthen cyberinfrastructure, expand broadband access and combat climate change.”
Menendez noted it is not a done deal, yet.
“Senate Democrats must now continue working to deliver a reconciliation package that invests in the human infrastructure that Republicans have neglected for decades, from making child care more affordable, to creating a path to citizenship for as many of the 11 million undocumented as possible, to extending the historic tax relief for workers and parents we secured in the American Rescue Plan, to addressing the climate crisis that threatens our communities and our families,” he said.
“The American people are demanding bold investments in the future of our country, and we must and will deliver.”
