The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also formerly known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal, passed the US Senate earlier this month and now awaits a final vote from the House of Representatives. That vote, according to democratic leadership, seems to be contingent upon the passage of the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package, or social spending bill, which is currently being drafted by House committees.

If you’ll recall, the IIJA includes over $550 billion in new funding above baseline levels over five years for roads, bridges, transit, water, broadband, and other infrastructure programs. It also includes a five-year reauthorization of core transportation infrastructure funding and programs. It is anticipated that the House will vote on the IIJA on September 27th which is cutting things relatively close given that the FAST Act, which previously authorized core transportation infrastructure funding and programs, is set to expire on September 30th. If it is the case that the IIJA does not pass prior to the expiration of FAST, we would anticipate that Congress would pass a short-term extension.

So what does this mean for Utah? Senator Mitt Romney, a key player in negotiating the IIJA, graciously joined WFRC at our August Council meeting and shared insight into the legislation. The Senator shared preliminary estimates that the State of Utah would receive just over $3.3 billion in transportation funding from the IIJA. A large portion of that, or roughly $2.4 billion, would be a reauthorization of existing funds, leaving roughly $900 million in new funding coming to the state. A majority of both new and existing funding would be apportioned through existing transportation programs. The State is well-positioned to put these federal funds to prudent use, in part because we have Utah’s Unified Transportation Plan that has already projected out the use of most of these funds by identifying priority investments for state and local roads, transit and active transportation.

HB1004 appropriated $50 million to a statewide grant program for local governments to complete local and regional ARPA-eligible projects. The portal is now open to submit applications online, with applications due no later than September 15th. You can access the portal and other relevant information for the grant program at the GOPB website here. There you can find the program guidance, Local Match Grant Letter, Local Match Grant Timeline, ULCT Townhall with GOPB on accessing funding, and the ULCT Townhall on Treasury ARPA guidance. You'll also find these resources and more information about ARPA on the ULCT website.

While ARPA eligible uses do not generally include transportation projects (only eligible under the revenue loss provision), WFRC is happy and willing to assist in any way we can as communities apply for the grant program. If there is a regional or cross-jurisdictional project your community is applying for, and you believe WFRC could be of support, please let us know. You can contact Miranda Jones Cox in our office with questions.

On July 22, 2021, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) announced $3 billion in funding opportunities to invest in communities impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. This funding is part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and focuses on advancing equity, creating good paying jobs, building economic resilience, and acceleration of economic recovery for industries hit hardest by the pandemic.

The EDA will be investing in planning, research, infrastructure, innovation, tourism, coal, and indigenous communities.

The EDA’s Investing in America’s Communities programs include:

Eligible applicants for EDA’s American Rescue Plan Economic Adjustment Assistance program funding include:

In addition to the new EDA ARPA funding, there was increased funding allocated to the regional EDA offices for non-ARPA money ($15 million for EAA) for the grants historically offered. If you have questions about this new funding or have ideas regarding projects for your communities, please contact Marcia White at mwhite@wfrc.org or (801) 556-5081.

At WFRC, we facilitate development of the 2023-2050 Regional Transportation Plan - the place where our regional transportation projects are born. We’d like your feedback on regional road, transit, and trail projects to consider within the planning process.

Help plan for the future by providing input on the adopted 2019-2050 RTP projects or propose new ideas for consideration by using this interactive map.

In the 2021 Utah Legislative Session, a historic $35 million was appropriated for “paved pedestrian or paved nonmotorized transportation projects” in part due to support from hundreds of people requesting a healthier, more connected Utah. In the most recent Utah Transportation Commission Meeting, ten active transportation projects across the state were approved to receive the appropriated money. The project list can be found here with details on the funding amounts and local match requirements.

It is exciting to see the money being programmed so quickly following the state appropriation. Knowing that there were many other worthy projects being considered, one hopes this is but one taste of continued investment in transportation choices across the state.

Housing is more expensive in Utah than ever. The Utah Foundation is administering a short survey to inform leaders about the future of housing in the state. Please help us understand your preferences.

The survey should take about five minutes.

Join us at the 2021 ULCT Annual Convention on September 30th for a special track of speakers, workshops, panel discussions, and tours to learn fantastic new ideas to address growth as well as the present challenges we face in our community, like housing, transportation, and water.