On January 14, the Federal Highway Administration launched the Bridge Replacement, Rehabilitation, Preservation, Protection, and Construction Program created in the recently passed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The program represents the single largest dedicated bridge investment since construction of the interstate highway system, providing $26.5 billion to states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico over five years. The total amount that will be available to these entities in fiscal year 2022 is $5.3 billion. In conjunction with this announcement, the White House also detailed its progress over the last 60 days on implementing the new law, which may be found here.

January 25 and 27, 2022

Encourages Prioritization of Review and Permitting Reform Regs, Discourages Limits on State Flexibility

Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) Joins AGC for Tour

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) released its apportionment notice, which informs states how much money they are eligible for. The $52.5 billion in apportioned funding for Fiscal Year 2022 represents an increase of more than 20% as compared to Fiscal Year 2021 for Federal-aid Highway Program apportionments. This funding is distributed annually by FHWA for the Federal-aid Highway Program based on a statutory formula contained in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. However, because the government is operating under a continuing resolution, states will not have access to about 20 percent of the funds.

While Congress averted a government shutdown on December 2 by passing an extension of fiscal year (FY) 2021 government funding, their inability to agree on new FY 2022 spending levels will hinder new and increased funding provided for in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) from becoming available. Here’s what you should know:

Most Contractors Report Significant Flaws with 811 Utility Location System

On November 15, President Biden signed the AGC-backed Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), into law. This was all possible thanks to the efforts by AGC and its members—sending nearly 100,000 messages to Congress—to push it over the top. As a reminder, AGC put together this summary and also this myth v. fact document. Additionally, a breakdown of what’s in the bill for each construction market can be found here: Highway Contractors; Utility Contractors; Direct Federal Contractors; Building Contractors; and Other Markets (Transit, Rail, Waterways, Airports).

There are significant flaws with the current 811 utility location system according to a new survey of construction firms that perform any kind of underground excavation released by the Associated General Contractors of America today. Most contractors say that calling 811 often leads to inaccurate line marking and that utility firms are often very slow in coming out to even do locate and mark their underground lines.

Members send Nearly 100,000 Messages to Congress to Make it Happen