Art of Gears
Fansided

Infrastructure Bill Means Road Improvements, EV Incentives

By Joe Capraro

WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 06: U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a press conference in the State Dinning Room at the White House on November 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. The President is speaking after his Infrastructure bill was finally passed in the House of Representatives after negotiations with lawmakers on Capitol Hill went late into the night. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 06: U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a press conference in the State Dinning Room at the White House on November 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. The President is speaking after his Infrastructure bill was finally passed in the House of Representatives after negotiations with lawmakers on Capitol Hill went late into the night. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images) /
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If you spend a lot of time on the roads of the United States, you have seen lots of crumbling concrete and subjected your suspension and posterior to countless potholes.

Much of our critical bridge system was built along with the interstate highway network and is nearing the end of its 50-70 year lifespan.

While the process involved in getting Congress to agree on a bill to fund improvements to these critical pieces of our nation’s transportation network conjured disturbing parallels to the deteriorating and outdated structures themselves, we do finally have at least one major wave of funding coming.

WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 23: Debris is seen after a pedestrian bridge collapsed on June 23, 2021 in Washington, DC. At least six people were reportedly injured on Wednesday when a pedestrian bridge collapsed onto DC-295 and trapped a truck containing 500 pounds of diesel fuel. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 23: Debris is seen after a pedestrian bridge collapsed on June 23, 2021 in Washington, DC. At least six people were reportedly injured on Wednesday when a pedestrian bridge collapsed onto DC-295 and trapped a truck containing 500 pounds of diesel fuel. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) /

After weeks of never-ending insertions, deletions, revisions, compromises, capitulations, and gnashing of teeth, the version of the bill that passed (but still awaits the President‘s signature) will affect the way we drive in some key ways:

• The bill includes $110 billion to improve those crumbling bridges and highways, which is the most pressing transportation-related concern for American drivers, whether they realize it or not.

• Public transportation improvements – $39 billion worth this year and another $50 billion over the next five – if effective, will take thousands of drivers off the road, easing traffic for those of us that still enjoy driving.

• In keeping with the Biden administration’s commitment to electric vehicles, the bill includes $7.5 billion to add EV charging stations to America’s roadways. Hopefully this will be a kick-start for private companies to begin providing the same for employees and customers.

• The bill also includes a number of safety requirements for vehicles manufactured and/or sold in the US. They include mandatory crash avoidance and alcohol detection technology, as well as a mandate to review bumper and headlight configurations on passenger trucks.

While the bill falls short of what Biden and Democratic leaders had hoped for, a significant portion of the $1.2 trillion to be spent will go towards improvements that substantially improve the safety of the vehicles we drive as well as the roads and bridges beneath us.

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