SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) Chair Alfredo Pedroza and Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) Executive Board President Jesse Arreguín today lauded Congress for its passage of the nearly $1 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, noting that the funding package will help implement many of the 35 strategies included in Plan Bay Area 2050, the long-term regional plan for transportation, housing, the environment and the economy adopted last month by both agencies.
"The bipartisan infrastructure bill provides a lot of the fuel we need to put Plan Bay Area 2050 into action," said Pedroza, who also serves as a Napa County Supervisor. "Not only will the big increase in transit capital funding help modernize our existing transit network to serve a new generation of customers but expansion of the discretionary grant programs will allow the Bay Area to compete for money that can move big new projects from the plan to reality. Our Bay Area congressional delegation deserves a lot of credit for its work in shaping this legislation."
Arreguín, who in addition to his ABAG role serves as mayor of Berkeley, pointed to other elements of the bill that include $65 billion for expanding broadband service, $65 billion for upgrading the power infrastructure and $71 billion for resilience, water storage and environmental remediation. "The new bill will advance goals like narrowing the digital divide for households with lower incomes, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by making electric vehicles more practical for more people, and helping our shoreline cities coordinate efforts to adapt to rising sea levels."
Bay Area transportation projects will be able to compete for some $140 billion to be distributed nationwide over the next five years through various grant programs included in the new bill. A $4.5 billion set-aside to fund bridge repair pro ..
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