Dec 21, 2021 

Press Release

Livingston, AL – Today, U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) concluded the first leg of her “Building a Better Alabama” Infrastructure District Tour, stopping in Marengo and Sumter Counties to highlight the transformational funding from the $1.2 trillion bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. 

“The first leg of my Infrastructure District Tour was a great success and I look forward to continuing my travel to alert our communities of the transformational infrastructure funding coming their way!” said Rep. Sewell. “By visiting our communities and speaking with constituents and local officials, I am prepared to leverage our collective resources to ensure that infrastructure projects in our district receive the funding and prioritization they deserve.” 

Sewell began the day in Demopolis with a visit to Whitfield Memorial Hospital followed by a press conference to discuss the healthcare provisions in the Build Back Better Act and how federal funding from various pieces of legislation have helped support hospitals by keeping first responders, frontline health workers, and other providers of vital services safely on the job. She took the opportunity to thank frontline workers for fighting to keep residents of the 7th District safe and healthy during the pandemic.

She then visited Carl Turk County Road 12 in Livingston to highlight the over $6 billion in federal funding for Alabama included in the infrastructure law that will help fix Alabama’s roads and reduce the backlog of major repairs for highways and bridges in Alabama. 

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will:

• Create Millions of Good-Paying Jobs– Together with the Build Back Better Act, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will create an average of 2 million jobs per year over the course of the next decade. 
• Repair and Rebuild Alabama’s Roads and Bridges– The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is the single largest dedicated bridge investment since the construction of the interstate highway system. Based on formula funding alone, Alabama would expect to receive:
  • $5.2 billionfor federal-aid highway apportioned programs
  • $225 millionfor bridge replacement and repairs under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act over five years. 
• Connect Every Alabamian to High-speed Internet– Broadband internet is necessary for Alabamians to do their jobs, participate equally in school learning, health care, and to stay connected. Yet 18% of Alabama households do not have an internet subscription, and 11.5% of Alabama residents live in areas where, under the FCC’s benchmark, there is no broadband infrastructure. Under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Alabama will receive a minimum allocation of $100 million to help provide broadband coverage across the state, including providing access to the at least 565,000 Alabamians who currently lack it. It also makes 1,518,000 Alabamians (31%) eligible for the Affordability Connectivity Benefit, which will help low-income families afford internet access.
• Make Transformational Investments in Alabama’s Water Infrastructure– Currently, up to 10 million American households and 400,000 schools and child care centers lack safe drinking water. Under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, based on the traditional state revolving fund formula, Alabama will expect to receive $782 million over five years to improve water infrastructure across the state and ensure that clean, safe drinking water is a right in all communities. The bill also includes $23 billion nationally for the bipartisan Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act.
• Improve Healthy, Sustainable Transportation Options– Alabamians who take public transportation spend an extra 66.2% of their time commuting and non-White households are 4.5 times more likely to commute via public transportation. 25% of transit vehicles in the state are past useful life. Based on formula funding alone, Alabama would expect to receive more than $400 million over five years under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to improve public transportation options across the state.

Alabama can also compete for the $12.5 billion Bridge Investment Program for economically significant bridges and nearly $16 billion of national funding in the bill dedicated for major projects that will deliver substantial economic benefits to communities.

Photos and videos from today’s events in Demopolis and Livingston can be found here. 

Issues: 

Economy, Jobs and Workforce Development