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Billions of Dollars in Federal Infrastructure Funding Left Unspent

By Randolph Sturdivant | Oct 17, 2024
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It’s been nearly three years since the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), but less than half of the funds allocated have actually been spent.

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It’s been nearly three years since the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), but less than half of the funds allocated have actually been spent.

Also known as the bipartisan infrastructure law, the expansive five-year bill, signed into law by President Biden on Nov. 15, 2021, authorized $1.2 trillion dollars—including $550 billion additional new dollars—in funding for improving highways, highway safety and railroads.

Monies were also allocated for expanding and enhancing the electric grid, expanding broadband access and funding clean water jobs.

And the money is being spent. The DOT reports that over 60,000 construction projects, and the jobs created with them, are moving forward with IIJA funds. You may have seen some of them yourself—roads and bridges being updated or built, ports being upgraded, airports modernized and more. The purpose of the act—the modernization of the nation’s infrastructure—is happening. But at what pace?

How much of the funding has actually been spent?

The Biden-Harris administration reported in September 2024 that approximately 40% of the IIJA—$480 billion dollars—has been allocated to projects and awards in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and U.S. territories.

The projects and awards include, in part, more than 60,000 constructions jobs, 175,000+ miles of roadway, 11,200 public transit projects, 170 rail projects and over $11 billion in discretionary grant funding.

But this still leaves 60% of the money waiting. So why hasn’t it been doled out, too? The answer lies in the act’s vastness, and bureaucracy. The monies funnel through more than 400 programs spread out among federal, state and local municipalities. A majority of the funding is available until spent, so it is expected that construction projects will continue past the IIJA’s five-year period. However, because parts of the funding are appropriated in specified amounts for certain years between 2022 and 2026, the results of the upcoming election could affect spending.

About The Author

Randolph Terrance Sturdivant is an SPJ award-winning, Emmy-nominated, freelance writer and comedian living in a Virginia suburb of Washington, D.C. He is a prolific writer with stories covering a range of emotion and subjects. Reach him at [email protected]

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