How is that whole “infrastructure law” thing going, anyway?

Often, the news just shows you the flashbulb moments, like when a bill is finally signed into law. When a tragedy first begins to unfold. When a huge gaffe is made. You may not hear as much about the progressive improvements brought to you by Congress. I want to take a moment to check in with you about our bipartisan infrastructure law. Over the past year and a half, the law has paid dividends for Virginia.

For those struggling with the cost or accessibility of internet coverage, the law has lowered internet bills, and you can see if you qualify for a rebate here. It’s also expanding broadband, as Virginia is using funding to create a strategic plan to get coverage to more homes. Once that plan is completed, there’s more money available to enact it, getting more Virginians high-speed, accessible, and affordable internet.

Drank water recently? Virginia is receiving $46 million to remove lead pipes and lower lead levels in some Virginia drinking water. Virginia also got $22 million to reclaim abandoned mine lands, which will limit acid mine drainage in local water while also revitalizing mining communities.

For those that use public transit, we’ve made wide-reaching investments in transit systems across the Commonwealth. In Northern Virginia, you may have heard that the Metro recently opened seven new stops in six months… a pretty remarkable pace. This follows a guaranteed eight-year investment in WMATA. But it isn’t just NoVA that’s getting cash… smaller communities across the entire Commonwealth – from Staunton to Bristol to Lynchburg – are getting guaranteed funds to improve their systems.

For air travelers, we’ve seen scads of investments in improving airports. From smaller ones like Luray Caverns to the most busy – Dulles, Norfolk, Richmond, and more – airports across the Commonwealth are getting funds to expand and make overdue upgrades.

For those interested in equity and urban planning, the law secured grants for Richmond and Hampton Roads that will begin to reconnect two historically Black communities displaced by the development of the interstate system. You can learn more about these investments from this 13 News Now reporting.

To be frank, there’s a lot more things I could list here… huge across-the-board investments in road and bridge quality, coastal resilience and flood mitigation, electric vehicle infrastructure, and more… but I don’t want to write you too long of an email. If you’re interested in learning about more of the successes from this law, check out my webpage here, which compiles some graphics and press releases about what this landmark law has accomplished.

If you want to get in touch with me about infrastructure or another issue that is important to you, you can reach out to me using the form on my website. You can also stay in the loop by following my Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. I look forward to hearing from you.