CHARLOTTE, N.C. (FOX 46 CHARLOTTE)- Two trillion dollars could soon be distributed to states to repair roads, revamp transportation, and fix other areas of infrastructure.
Of the $2.25 trillion infrastructure plan proposed by President Biden, $621 billion of that cash pot is set aside specifically for transportation.
In North Carolina, one of most pressing projects right now are up in the air.
While we don't know exactly where that money would go locally, it’s expected to go toward transportation infrastructure like bridges that require attention and lots of repairs to help move people and products.
As bridges get older, they cost even more to maintain. That's why the Biden plan could mean so much to the aging decks and superstructures of our state’s bridges.
“We focus on bridges that are rated structurally or in poor condition and we’ve seen that number go down over the years but at a very slow pace,” said Alison Premo Black, Senior Vice President with the American Road and Transportation Builders Association.
Black says the projects waiting for funding across the Tarheel State have been a long time coming.
“It takes time to make these investments and improvements,” Black said. “And its well documented that right now, we are not investing nearly enough to make the improvements to the system.”
Ranking tenth in the country when it comes to structurally deficient bridges, North Carolina has 1,460 structurally deficient bridges. Thousands more bridges need repairs with a total price tag of $3.7 billion, a cost that could grow even larger with everyday some arteries of commerce are left just barely hanging on.
“In the longer term, businesses will be more productive,” Black said. “They'll be able to travel--it will cost less for everybody. It will take care of some hidden costs.”
According to the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, about $42 billion of revenue is lost from dealing with sub-par infrastructure.
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