Biden signs federal infrastructure bill: What’s the impact on Columbus?
COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) - President Biden signed into law the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill Monday. This is expected to bring millions of dollars to the Peach State.
This infrastructure bill will bring more than 11 billion dollars in vital investments to Georgia. You’ll see this money in upgrades in transportation and transit infrastructure, public schools, broadband internet and more.
Under the infrastructure package, in the first five years, Georgia is expected to receive about $9.1 billion for roads and bridges. Columbus will receive roughly $20.7 million. I talked with Mayor Skip Henderson who said the city’s roads and bridges are overdue for maintenance.
“We don’t really know the firm number that we’re going to get. We know that there’s opportunities for us to put in for projects,” Mayor Henderson said. “We rank all of our roads and all of or bridges just about on an annual basis so that we know which ones are in the greatest need for any kind of attention.”
In Georgia, $8.9 billion is set aside for federal-aid highway apportioned programs, and $225 million for bridge replacement and repairs. Mayor Henderson said the city engineering department would be the deciding factor in which roads would be repaired first, all based on research and reports.
Also in the bill, is money to enhance broadband internet, water pipes and the public works systems.
“We’ve also got some coastal water work money in play that we can apply for that would allow us to do some things along the Chattahoochee,” Mayor Henderson explained. “I know there’s some people who would like to see those locks repaired and may even down the road, start dredging the Chattahoochee and make it more navigable for large traffic.”
Mayor Henderson said he and the city council are always listening for the public’s input - but he said in some cases, road repairs come down to one thing: “We are also looking at those that are materially damaged. If we did appropriate some of these funds to the roads, it’d come down to the need based on the condition of the road.”
This is the largest federal investment in the nation’s roads, bridges and airports in more than a decade.
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