As infrastructure funding begins to flow from the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, and funds are appropriated through state and territory legislation, governors are overseeing the delivery of myriad infrastructure projects. projects and upgrades in their states, commonwealths and territories. In their 2023 State of the State addresses, governors celebrated current infrastructure investments and highlighted future infrastructure plans to support their communities and economies.
Record investment in transport projects
Many governors highlighted significant investments and improvements in transportation infrastructure in their 2023 state.
in kentucky, Andy Beshear, governor and co-chair of the NGA’s Economic Development and Revitalization Task Force, emphasized the record investment in the commonwealth’s roadways, saying, “In many ways, we are in our Eisenhower moment, investing more in infrastructure than ever before.” He discussed several major road and bridge investment wins, including the I-69 corridor, Kentucky Highway 30, the Mountain Parkway expansion and awards. $1.6 billion in funding from IIJA to build the Brent Spence Companion Bridge. He said that many projects have been talked about for decades and referring to the Brent Spence Bridge, ‘now the work is finished.
In his State of the Union Address, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice also celebrated his state’s investments in roads and highways. He said that the state was completed in 2022 115,745 miles of road work, with total A combined 364,500 miles of work were completed over the last three years. Governor Justice noted that not long ago roads across the state were in poor condition, but recently, major project developments including Nitro World War One Memorial Bridge, Beckley Bluestone Travel Plazas, Wheeling Bridges have progressed or been completed. and Coalfield Expressway. Governor Justice emphasized that West Virginia will “take full advantage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and billions of dollars will flow to West Virginia.”
With the chair New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy focused on modernizing the state’s transit and railroad infrastructure in his State of the State address. Governor Murphy noted that the state recently broke ground on the new Portal North Bridge along the NE Rail Corridor and several projects are moving forward along NJ Transit’s rail lines. He also highlighted progress on the new rail tunnels under the Hudson River and that the state recently received a $292 million federal grant for the project, “the first we anticipated. Completing this project will be very rewarding.”
in South Carolina, Governor and co-chair of NGA’s Economic Development and Revitalization Task Force Henry McMaster emphasized that 2022 will be the most successful year for economic growth in the state’s history. This was driven by significant investment in electric vehicle manufacturing in the state, including a A $3.5 billion investment by Redwood Materials in a new battery materials recycling facility — the single largest announcement in South Carolina’s history — and an investment. $1.7 billion in electric vehicle production and battery assembly by BMW. Governor McMaster noted, however, “Our successes are outpacing our infrastructure[,]”We have to invest more.” The governor emphasized that in 2022, the South Carolina Department of Transportation received nearly $1 billion to accelerate and jump-start investments to widen roads, bridges, highways and interstates, and that the 2023 executive budget “provides an additional $850 million to continue the momentum.” .Reducing traffic congestion on interstates and highways, repairing or repairing local roads and completing projects to repair more than 400 bridges across the state.(See more details at NGA’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Summit held in South Carolina in October 2022 here ).
Governors double down on broadband deployment
In addition to highlighting major investments in transportation projects, several governors discussed their successes in deploying broadband infrastructure and put the spotlight on the work ahead.
Missouri Governor Mike Parsons highlighted his administration’s investment in broadband expansion, saying, “Thanks to our efforts, nearly 70,000 underserved homes and businesses in our state now have broadband.” The governor then outlined his plans for future investments, announcing that his administration would “invest an additional $250 million dollars to do more. [ … ] We are not done until every home, every school, every business and every farm has access to quality internet.”
Emphasizing the importance of broadband access to ensure socioeconomic opportunities, Montana Governor Greg Gianforte said “Lack of access to reliable broadband limits Montanans’ access to educational opportunities, health care, and career opportunities.” “This is the largest investment we’ve ever made in broadband infrastructure — bringing reliable broadband to 62,000 Montana homes that don’t currently have one,” the governor said, referring to his administration’s historic investment in fiber.
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers said his administration is “preparing our state, our workforce, and our economy for this century,” referring to the role of broadband investment in the growth and development of the state’s economy. The governor detailed his administration’s investments to expand broadband access, saying, “We have allocated more than $340 million to expand high-speed Internet. [ … ] More than 387,000 homes and businesses will have new or improved access to reliable, high-speed Internet.”
Focusing on the work ahead, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico The need for broadband expansion was discussed to help bring jobs, opportunities and people to the state. She called for $146 million in statewide broadband expansion [ … ] therefore [New Mexico] Each corner can attract more businesses to communities [New Mexico] And double our investment in critical workforce development and job training programs.”
Governors highlight new approaches to leveraging federal funds
In addition to discussing specific infrastructure projects or programs, governors emphasized innovations to compete for and maximize record federal funding dollars in their jurisdictions.
In his first State of the Union Address, Massachusetts Governor Maura Haley noted in reference to IIJA funding that “we are competing with every state for those dollars,” adding that she is forming an interagency task force to compete for federal infrastructure money. “We want to win every dollar available for shovel-ready projects across the state,” said Governor Haley.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer reflected on the creation of the Michigan Infrastructure Office last year to invest federal funds as efficiently as possible. He noted that “this year, it will redouble its efforts, helping build all kinds of infrastructure – roads, high-speed Internet, clean energy, and lead-free pipes.”
To unlock federal infrastructure dollars, Nebraska Governor Jim Peele advised that “my budget includes $100 million to leverage an additional $400 in federal funds to improve our bridges and roads.” He also talked about the creation of the Nebraska Broadband Office, whose sole focus would be to “complete broadband in Nebraska.”
Also, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee noted in his State of the State address that now is the time to invest in a transportation strategy for one of the nation’s fastest-growing states. “There’s a $26 billion backlog of projects across the state,” he said, adding that we need to change the way we fund and build our roads and bridges. He stressed the need for a “Transportation Modernization Act” to build more selective lanes on urban highways, to ensure electric vehicles contribute to the maintenance of our roads, and to engage public-private partnerships to provide a delivery model for faster construction of rural and urban projects. .” On March 30, the Transportation Modernization Act was passed bipartisanly by the Legislature. Goes to Governor Lee’s desk to be endorsed and signed into law.
Additional resources
To support governors as they pursue historic infrastructure investments and set states on a path to sustainable infrastructure funding, NGA has developed a set of resources and assembled networks of governors’ advisors to understand federal opportunities and share best practices.
NGA maintains implementation resource pages for the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the bipartisan CHIPS and SCIENCE Act which can be accessed here. These resource pages are updated weekly to provide the latest federal updates, including notices of funding opportunities, requests for information and guidelines, and the latest NGA, association, and NGA partner resources.
This article was developed by Glenn Grimshaw and Evan Blankenberger, NGA Center for Best Practices. For more information about the Governors’ infrastructure work please contact [email protected].