25,000 Transportation Projects Started in Year-One of Infrastructure Law, New Report Shows

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – States leveraged their fiscal year 2022 federal highway formula funds to jumpstart nearly 25,000 new improvement projects in communities across America during the first year of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), a review of U.S. Treasury Department data through August 31 shows.

“A key takeaway from the Treasury data is that the bipartisan infrastructure law is working in year one as intended, with state transportation departments disbursing their funds and projects breaking ground,” said American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) Chief Economist Dr. Alison Premo Black, who reviewed and compiled the data for the report.

“The economic and quality of life benefits of the infrastructure law will become even more apparent as funding continues in coming years,” adds ARTBA Chair Paula Hammond, a WSP USA senior vice president. “The beneficiaries of these long-term investments will be the American traveling public in their communities.”

President Joe Biden signed the IIJA into law Nov. 15, 2021. Nearly 90 percent of IIJA’s highway funds are dispersed by existing formula to states, with the remainder distributed through discretionary grant awards and other allocated programs.

The 20 largest IIJA projects supported by formula funds to date are:

1. Texas – Expanding Loop 1604 on I-10 in San Antonio – $291 million
2. Texas – 635 East Project in Dallas – $225 million
3. New York – Van Wyck Expressway Capacity & Access Improvements to and from JFK International Airport – $211 million
4. Arizona – Roadway Widening on I-17 Split – $200 million
5. Texas – I-35 Widening in Travis County – $192 million
6. South Carolina – Phase 1 Carolina Crossroads I-20/26/126 Corridor Improvement Project – $145 million
7. Ohio – I-70/71 Downtown Ramp Up Project in Columbus – $123 million
8. California – Rehabilitation of Pomona Freeway between the Long Beach and San Gabriel River Freeways – $121 million
9. California – Route 46 Corridor Improvement Project in San Luis Obispo – $119 million
10. Illinois – Interchange Reconstruction and Bridge Replacement on I-57 at I-74 Interchange in Urbana-Champaign – $107 million
11. Georgia – State Road 2/State Road 515 Roadway Reconstruction Project in Northern Georgia – $104 million
12. California – State Route 55 Improvements Project in Orange County – $101 million
13. California – Rehabilitation of Route 10 Near Coachella – $100 million
14. Tennessee – Interchange Modification on I-55 at Crump Boulevard in Memphis – $99.6 million
15. Texas – Widen Loop 375 in El Paso – $95 million
16. New Jersey – Route 18 Drainage and Pavement Rehabilitation in East Brunswick – $91.7 million
17. Tennessee – Improvements at I-75, I-24 Interchange near the Tennessee-Georgia Border – $91.2 million
18. South Carolina – Phase 2 Carolina Crossroads I-20/26/126 Corridor Improvement Project – $90 million
19. California – SAC 5 Corridor Enhancement Project in Sacramento – $88 million
20. Texas – Irving Interchange Project in Dallas – $80 million

ARTBA has created a digital tool, artbahighwaydashboard.org, to provide national and state-by-state information on the projects and more specifics on how IIJA funds are being invested. The association is sharing this resource with members of Congress and their staffs, and with administration officials.

Established in 1902, the Washington, D.C.-based ARTBA advocates for infrastructure investment and policy that meet the nation’s need for safe and efficient travel.