State leaders and federal transportation officials met in Wilmington to celebrate the benefits the infrastructure bill brings to the First State.
Gov. John Carney, alongside Delaware’s Congressional delegation gathered just off the Maryland Avenue exit of I-95, currently closed as workers renovate the Wilmington portion of that highway.
US Department of Transportation deputy secretary Polly Trottenberg joined them to highlight the expected local impact of the bipartisan infrastructure deal, signed by President Biden earlier this month.
Trottenberg says this is the largest infrastructure bill in U.S. history, and she believes there’s enough funding for all the projects she’d like to see accomplished.
“I think it is gonna give us an incredible amount of resources to invest in the coming years,” Trottenberg said. “I don’t wanna be greedy and ask for more. I think we are gonna have an opportunity to make incredible investments all over the country — including, I think, some amazing projects here in Delaware.”
Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester says this money is vital to help states recover from the pandemic.
“If you look at countries around the world, they invest in their infrastructure,” said Blunt Rochester. “So in order for us to not only recover and be well, we have to invest in our infrastructure for the future of this country.”
Delaware is slated to receive $500 million over the next five years from the bill, with money tagged for road maintenance, like on I-95, public transit and electric vehicle charging.
Trottenberg says she’s especially excited to see passenger rail advancements throughout the Mid-Atlantic corridor, noting the fondness Delaware’s leaders have for Amtrak.
Roman Battaglia is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms.
