A massive infrastructure bill passed in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, prompting politicians like Rep. Colin Allred (D-Dallas) to hail as a 鈥渙nce in a generation investment in our roads, bridges, mass transit, broadband and clean energy technology.鈥�
The White House Texas' share of the money would be at least $26.9 billion for highways, $537 million for bridge replacement, $3.3 billion for public transit improvements, $100 million for broadband access and $408 million over five years to expand electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
Transit experts in North Texas agree the bill 鈥� if it passes the House 鈥� would be a big deal. But we鈥檒l have to wait to know where exactly the money is going in Dallas-Fort Worth. The doesn鈥檛 list specific projects, only dedicated money for new and existing grant programs. And many of them are competitive.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not a raise your hand and they send you a check kind of thing,鈥� said Steve Montgomery, director of government relations for Trinity Metro, which provides public transportation services in Tarrant County. 鈥淭here is competition for these funding programs, and you really do have to show the benefit of your project in order to be eligible for the funding.鈥�
Trinity Metro wants to expand its TEXRail commuter rail from downtown Fort Worth to the near South Side, and also launch a bus rapid transit program that at least goes out to the East Lancaster neighborhood of the city.
鈥淭his additional funding 鈥� just gives us more hope that there would be funding available for our projects as we鈥檙e competing against all the other projects that have merit around the country,鈥� Montgomery said.
The bill is a big boon for metropolitan regions like Dallas-Fort Worth, according to Michael Morris, director of transportation at the North Central Texas Council of Governments. Some of the money is allocated by formula, and the Senate bill also sets authorizing language that outline principles for dispensing the funds.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a very comprehensive policy,鈥� Morris said.
If it passes the House in a similar form, he said he will be able to move quickly on projects like Rt. 380 in Collin County, finishing the airport freeway in Irving, and putting I-30 at Fair Park underground.
鈥淭hese are no longer theoretical conversations,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e interested in technology, if you鈥檙e interested in bike paths, if you鈥檙e interested in safety, if you鈥檙e interested in traditional [infrastructure], if you鈥檙e interested in reknitting communities, there鈥檚 a home for all of you in this new focus.鈥�
Morris is keenly watching whether the final law will apportion money based on the most recent census numbers. That, he said, would be more fair to states like Texas that have seen significant population growth in recent years.
The is about $1.2 trillion, including $550 billion of new spending over five years.
Though the infrastructure bill garnered 19 Republican votes in the Senate, neither Texas senator voted for the measure. John Cornyn the Congressional Budget Office the bill would add to the deficit over the next decade. Ted Cruz, widely expected to run for president in 2024, also the bill for its price tag.
鈥淭he $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that passed today contained only about $100 billion for roads and bridges,鈥� Cruz said in a statement Tuesday. 鈥淚f the Democrats wanted to pass a bill just to fix and expand our roads and bridges, they could have done it with near-unanimous support.鈥�
The Biden Administration is hoping to enact both the bipartisan infrastructure bill and a separate, $3.5 trillion budget bill that boosts things like health care, pre-school and climate change response. The larger measure has no GOP support in the Senate.
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