New Guide to Securing Infrastructure Funding for Local Projects

Are you a rural mayor wondering how you can get desperately-needed funding for schools in your community? Do you work in the Iowa Department of Transportation and brainstorm ways to improve public transit in the state? Did you lose your home in the devastating floods in Western Iowa in 2019 and wonder what your state or local government can do to make sure that never happens again?

Well, there’s some good news: The White House has launched a guidebook to help Iowa communities take advantage of the more than $5 billion in investments headed their way under Joe Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

The 465-page guidebook highlights the more than 350 programs receiving funding, including efforts to provide funds to rural schools, expand public transit, better prepare communities for floods, and much, much more. The guide details eligibility criteria, application deadlines, and various other resources to help officials navigate the programs and secure funding for their communities.

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“Without raising taxes, the infrastructure law will create jobs, support local economies, and keep Iowans safe through the modernization of our roads, bridges, and airports–and the expansion of high-speed internet to communities across Iowa,” Rep. Cindy Axne, who voted for the law, said in a statement. “The new Build.gov guidebook will be a helpful resource for our city and county governments as I continue to work with local leaders to ensure funds are put to use where they are most urgently needed.”

The state has already received more than $870 million from the IIJA since it was signed into law in November 2021, including $650 million in funding for Iowa’s roads, $86 million for bridges, $110 million to upgrade the state’s water infrastructure, and more than $24 billion to improve Iowa’s airports.

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Iowa’s infrastructure received a “C” grade from the American Society of Civil Engineers, making the need for such investments clear. Biden’s once-in-a-generation infrastructure investment is also estimated to create more than 770,000 jobs in the next three years, including thousands in Iowa, according to a report from Moody’s Analytics.

by Keya Vakil
2/8/22

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