Iowa Senator Joni Ernst
Monday Senator Joni Ernst praised the unanimous passage of America’s Transportation Infrastructure Act Out of Committee. Ernst Described the bill as a historic, bipartisan five-year transportation infrastructure package.
In a Press Release, Senator Ernst touted several provisions she secured in the bill:
· The COMMUTE Act establishes a competitive grant program at the U.S. Department of Transportation to develop and provide states, metropolitan planning organizations, and rural planning organizations with accessibility data for use in transportation planning efforts.
· Lock and Dam Modernization act would Allow states to use federal highway funding for lock and dam modernization and rehabilitation projects to address aging water infrastructure that threatens the viability of farmers, manufacturers, shippers, and other stakeholders.
The package also includes a new $3.265 billion grant program to help states and local entities rehabilitate or replace structurally deficient bridges, a particularly important piece of the bill for Iowa, which currently has the most structurally deficient bridges in the nation.
