Ohioans rely on our nation’s infrastructure every day. Whether it’s commuting to work, connecting to the internet, buying something online that depends on our ports, our freight rail, our airports, or our highways, or simply flipping a light switch and depending on the lights coming on, the hard assets that link our state and country together are essential for our businesses, farmers, workers, families, and communities.
Unfortunately, many of these roads, bridges, ports, freight rail systems, waterways, electrical grids, and broadband networks are not up to the task.
In February, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave our nation a “C-” for our infrastructure. Other countries are surpassing us in every category of infrastructure. This is why presidents of both parties have advocated for major infrastructure investments over the past few decades, trying to win the global competition for jobs and investment.
Based on my conversations with Ohioans about the need to fix crumbling infrastructure, it was no surprise to me that recent polls from CNBC and CBS News both found that 87 percent of the public backs bipartisan efforts to invest in our infrastructure. People get it.
The good news is that after decades of talking about it, Congress recently passed and President Biden signed into law landmark bipartisan legislation to improve the lives of Ohioans and all Americans by investing in these critical infrastructure assets we rely on every day.
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I took a lead role in crafting and passing the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act, which provides unprecedented investment of $542 billion in our core infrastructure needs to help our economy continue to grow. Importantly, our bill makes this historic investment in infrastructure without raising taxes on hardworking American families or the businesses that drive our economy.
And because it is long-term investments in hard assets and will make our economy more efficient and productive, it is counter-inflationary at a time when devastating inflation is on the rise.
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The Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act will provide significant help as Central Ohio grows and traffic congestion grows with it. As an important thoroughfare for traffic not just within our state but for nationwide shipping, it’s vitally important we invest in Central Ohio’s roadways.
Under our legislation, Ohio will receive $9.2 billion to help with roads and highways and $483 million to help with our bridges. This can help pay for projects like Columbus Crossroads, which will complete a comprehensive reconstruction of the I70/I71 Innerbelt through downtown Columbus, or the Rickenbacker Area Access project, which will help better connect Rickenbacker’s freight railroads to our highways to improve shipping times and costs for customers.
Air travelers in Central Ohio will benefit too from the $25 billion in grant funding for upgrading our airports. Some of this funding could be used to help fund the One International Gateway project at John Glenn Airport, which will replace the outdated original passenger terminal, as well as add new parking structures, rental car facilities, and other needed improvements that will make flying out of CMH easier than ever.
The bipartisan infrastructure bill will also provide a total of $54 billion to build and upgrade water infrastructure, with Ohio slated to receive $1.4 billion through the Clean and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund programs. These programs can help finance a variety of projects to ensure residents of Central Ohio can have access to clean and safe drinking water. This funding can be used for projects like the expansion of the sewer system in Logan County to cover more unserved households and underserved communities.
These are just a few of the initiatives in the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act. The combined result is good for Central Ohio, our state and our country.
Studies show that this bipartisan effort is a smart investment in our long-term economic health because it creates hundreds of thousands of jobs in a variety of industries, grows our economy, and raises wages for workers over the next 10 years and beyond. This is a significant investment in the American economy not just for 2021, but 2031, 2041, and well into the future.
Importantly, economists agree this type of long-term investment in infrastructure won’t add to the surging inflation that is causing the prices of everyday goods like gas and groceries to rise.
It’s no surprise that more than 100 stakeholders from all levels of government and in countless industries back our bill, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the AFL-CIO Building Trades Council, the American Farm Bureau, and the National League of Cities, as well as local groups like the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission and the Columbus Partnership.
The Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act is good for Central Ohio, good for our entire state, and good for our nation.
Rob Portman (R-Ohio) has been a U.S. senator since he was first elected in 2010. He previously served as a U.S. representative, the 14th United States trade representative, and the 35th director of the Office of Management and Budget.
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