This article discusses what Philadelphia is expected to receive from the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. The state of Pennsylvania is expected to receive roughly $11.3 billion in highway formula funding over the next five years alongside $1.6 billion for bridge replacement and repairs. $2.8 billion is expected to go towards public transportation but this includes money for inter-city rail expansion and other railroad work that’s more than just transit, the way people tend to think about that.
Two of the biggest projects, King of Prussia Rail and trolley modernization, will likely receive their funding through this bill. SEPTA is expected to earn an extra $120 million in net revenue a year on top of the $300 million they already received. According to Congressman Dwight Evans’s office, SEPTA will receive an extra $540 million a year over the next five years.
The next part of the bill is $100 billion in competitive grant funding which will be overseen by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Philadelphia is expected to place priority on street safety projects like the Spring Garden Greenway and other bus, bike, and trail projects based on comments by Secretary Buttigieg.
Critics of the bill point to the fact that the money will flow from the federal government to states largely unrestricted. In the past, this has resulted in money intended for public transit to be spent primarily on highway expansion. Another part of the bill is $1 billion for "Reconnecting Communities'' which is aimed to rebuild communities split apart by highway construction. Many have criticized that $1 billion across 50 states for such a large project will not be enough. Philadelphia has been considering highway caps for Chinatown and Nicetown and is expected to put in applications.
Pennsylvania is expected to receive $171 million in electric vehicle infrastructure. This is mostly going to go towards the creation of charging stations. I find it interesting that the bill contains $7.5 billion in funding for this but only $1 billion to rebuild communities devastated by highway creation. This bill largely seems to push the status quo of urban design in America, meaning cities will remain unwalkable and public transportation underfunded.
Jon Geeting, 23 November 2021, "WHAT THE INFRASTRUCTURE BILL MEANS FOR PHILLY", contributed by Andrew Rosenthal, The Energy Rights Project, Platform for Experimental Collaborative Ethnography, last modified 15 December 2021, accessed 19 April 2024. https://energyrights.info/content/what-infrastructure-bill-means-philly
Critical Commentary
This article discusses what Philadelphia is expected to receive from the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. The state of Pennsylvania is expected to receive roughly $11.3 billion in highway formula funding over the next five years alongside $1.6 billion for bridge replacement and repairs. $2.8 billion is expected to go towards public transportation but this includes money for inter-city rail expansion and other railroad work that’s more than just transit, the way people tend to think about that.
Two of the biggest projects, King of Prussia Rail and trolley modernization, will likely receive their funding through this bill. SEPTA is expected to earn an extra $120 million in net revenue a year on top of the $300 million they already received. According to Congressman Dwight Evans’s office, SEPTA will receive an extra $540 million a year over the next five years.
The next part of the bill is $100 billion in competitive grant funding which will be overseen by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Philadelphia is expected to place priority on street safety projects like the Spring Garden Greenway and other bus, bike, and trail projects based on comments by Secretary Buttigieg.
Critics of the bill point to the fact that the money will flow from the federal government to states largely unrestricted. In the past, this has resulted in money intended for public transit to be spent primarily on highway expansion. Another part of the bill is $1 billion for "Reconnecting Communities'' which is aimed to rebuild communities split apart by highway construction. Many have criticized that $1 billion across 50 states for such a large project will not be enough. Philadelphia has been considering highway caps for Chinatown and Nicetown and is expected to put in applications.
Pennsylvania is expected to receive $171 million in electric vehicle infrastructure. This is mostly going to go towards the creation of charging stations. I find it interesting that the bill contains $7.5 billion in funding for this but only $1 billion to rebuild communities devastated by highway creation. This bill largely seems to push the status quo of urban design in America, meaning cities will remain unwalkable and public transportation underfunded.