As President Biden Travels to Kansas City, Local Leaders Celebrate Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

December 8, 2021

**ICYMI**

Today, as President Biden heads to Kansas City to deliver remarks on how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law delivers for the American people, voters across Kansas and Missouri are seeing firsthand how the president’s historic infrastructure plan will rebuild roads and bridges, upgrade public transit, replace water infrastructure, and create good-paying, union jobs.

Here’s what folks across Kansas and Missouri are reading ahead of President Biden’s visit:

The Kansas City Star: As Biden travels to KC, area leaders say new federal law could aid numerous projects

“Kansas is set to ultimately receive $3.2 billion and Missouri $7.9 billion under the law — money that could go toward an array of projects that encompass not just transportation but also broadband internet coverage and water systems.”

“Area leaders are hopeful that everything from the Buck O’Neil Memorial Bridge downtown, to an east-west streetcar, to highway expansions in Johnson County could eventually benefit.”

“Kansas is set to receive $2.6 billion to repair highways over the next five years, just shy of the $3 billion the state spent over the last decade to preserve roads through the T-Works project. Missouri will get $6.5 billion for roads over the next five years. In the 2019 fiscal year, Missouri’s Department of Transportation spent $1.5 billion on roads and bridges.”

“The law also allocates money to fix the 1,321 miles of bridges in poor condition in Kansas and the 2,190 miles in Missouri. Kansas and Missouri will get $225 million and $484 million respectively over the next five years.”

“Missouri is slated to get $674 million to improve public transportation over the next five years, while Kansas is allocated $272 million. For water infrastructure improvements, Kansas is expected to get $454 million over four years and Missouri is expected to get $866 million over five years.”

“Kansas Rep. Sharice Davids, a Democrat who vocally supported the infrastructure bill, said the EPA announcement marked Kansas’s first official funding allocation from the law. ‘These historic investments in our water infrastructure, including targeted funding to identify and replace lead pipes, will help deliver safe, reliable water to our communities for years to come,’ Davids said in a statement. ‘I look forward to continuing to support our local public works and utilities as they put these funds to work for the Third District.’”
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