Infrastructure bill: the big picture and what it means to Michigan

The U.S. Senate this week adopted a sweeping $1 trillion infrastructure bill that includes $550 billion in new revenue for roads, water systems, electric vehicle charging, broadband, rail, and transit. Lloyd Brown, the former chief spokesperson for the American Association of State Transportation Officials (AASHTO), now with HDR, Inc.,  joins the conversation to share national perspective.  

Later, Niles Annelin, policy section manager at the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), breaks down what will be Michigan’s share of the funds, provided the bill clears the House.  

Industry groups from the Blue-Green alliance to myriad contractors associations to AASHTO issued supportive statements for the bill.  

Brown cites the certainty contractors will gain from a five-year commitment of additional federal funding.  

But he also addresses the lack of a user-fee model in the pay-for components and some questions from organizations long advocating for putting the cost on users, pointing to continuing research for a mileage-based user fee national pilot project.  

Annelin joins later to talk about the breakdown of new funding for transportation programs in Michigan. The White House issued a fact sheet outlining those investments.  

Michigan would see about a 30 percent increase in federal aid to roads over the five-year period.  

Annelin also talks about the funds for electric vehicle charging opportunities for more equity in deploying the technology.


Podcast image by MotionStudios from Pixabay.