This week, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee introduced the Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America (INVEST in America) Act, a bold legislative package that will invest $500 billion over the next five years to expand, rebuild and replace America’s failing infrastructure.
Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18), a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and Chair of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee, gave his strong support of the INVEST in America Act:
“When it comes to repairing the Hudson Valley’s infrastructure, the INVEST in America Act is a gamechanger. This bill will build on the progress we’ve made since I’ve come to Congress by jumpstarting new 21st century projects to fix our failing roads, bridges, and rail systems. With billions of dollars going directly to New York, these smart investments will help our state grow and transform - and create good-paying jobs right here in the Hudson Valley,” said Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney.
The INVEST in America Act is a major component of House Democrats’ Moving Forward Framework. The bill will:
- Tackle the massive backlog of roads, bridges, transit, and rail systems in need of repair or replacement.
- This bill would invest $319 billion in new federal highway funds, with an estimated $12.1 billion going to New York.
- This bill includes Rep. Maloney’s bill, the Bridge Investment Act, which will dedicate $28 billion to repair America’s 47,000+ structurally-deficient bridges.
- This bill dedicates funding for large transportation projects that reduce congestion, like Gateway.
- Help build new, resilient infrastructure designed to withstand the impacts of climate change and extreme weather.
- Design streets that are safer for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers.
- This bill expands funding for the Transportation Alternatives Program, which supports the construction of projects like the proposed Hudson Fjord Trail.
- Increase funding for public transit in urban, suburban, and rural areas.
- Reduce carbon pollution and invest in green technologies and innovations in the transportation sector.
- Invest in our rail system to make rail transit more reliable, while also enhancing rail worker and passenger safety, and helping communities address grade crossing issues.
- This bill provides over $105 billion in federal transit funds, supporting new fixed and elevated rail projects. The bill also reauthorizes the Federal Railroad Administration’s grant program, which supports local rail safety and expansion projects in the Hudson Valley.
- Improve access to federal transportation funding to help all communities undertake transformative infrastructure and transportation projects.
- The bill would briefly eliminate the state-federal match, ensuring that all federal dollars offered in 2021 would be offered at 100% federal share.