Maryland to receive billions for roads, bridges, broadband, cybersecurity, transit, and more.
The Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act (IIJA) includes $973 billion over five years from fiscal 2022 through fiscal 2026, including $550 billion in new investments for all modes of transportation, water, power, broadband, cybersecurity, energy, environmental remediation, resilience, and more.
According to an analysis by the National Association of Counties (NACo):
IIJA will direct $284 billion in above-baseline spending toward all modes of transportation and $266 billion to other infrastructure sectors. – nearly 52 percent – toward modernizing and making improvements to transportation infrastructure, with the majority of funding for highways, roads and bridges. Investments would be broken down as follows:
- Roads & Bridges: $110 billion
- Transit: $39 billion
- Rail: $66 billion
- Safety: $11 billion
- Airports: $25 billion
- Ports & Waterways: $17 billion
- Electric vehicle chargers: $7.5 billion
- Electric buses: $7.5 billion
- Reconnecting Communities: $1 billion
What Does the IIJA Mean for Maryland?
Highlights include:
- Under the IIJA, Maryland will receive approximately $4.1 billion for highway aid and $409 million for bridge replacement and repairs. In addition, Maryland will get an estimated $1.7 billion over the next five years to improve public transit systems across the state.
- The IIJA includes at least $200 million for Maryland to expand access to high-speed broadband in underserved areas. The legislation also extends the Emergency Broadband Benefit program, which discounts monthly broadband bills for low-income households.
- Maryland will receive $844 million over five years to improve water infrastructure across the state to ensure clean, safe drinking water. The IIJA also invests $238 million for the health and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay.
- The IIJA includes $158 million for Maryland airports and $63 million for electric vehicle charging stations.
- Maryland will receive at least $15.9 million to prevent cyberattacks.
Read the complete NACo analysis and stay tuned to Conduit Street for more information.
MACo Prioritizing Infrastructure in 2022
Reinvesting in local transportation infrastructure is a 2022 MACo Legislative Initiative. Counties urge the General Assembly to continue advancing toward fully funding local infrastructure – MACo advocates that counties should again receive funding for their lion’s share of transportation infrastructure located in Maryland.
As counties modernize their digital infrastructure, they must weigh the long-term inefficiencies of migrating applications as-is into cloud environments against the immediate financial costs of updating in advance or replacing them altogether. At the MACo Winter Conference session, “Subscribed: Budgeting for the Digital Age,” an expert panel will discuss best practices for counties to understand, control, and manage IT costs.
The 2021 MACo Winter Conference, “Time to Reboot: Tomorrow’s Tech Today,” will be held on December 8-10, 2021, at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Hotel in Cambridge, Maryland.
Learn more about MACo’s Winter Conference:
