Gov. Andy Beshear touted the investments the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law brought to Kentucky on the third anniversary of the laws signing.
The law, signed by President Joe Biden in 2021, was a $1.2 trillion bill that was meant to repair and enhance America’s infrastructure, including public transportation, roads, bridges, ports and railways.
From the package, Kentucky received at least $69 million to help complete portions of the Appalachian Development Highway System, a network that connects national interstates to Appalachia.
The commonwealth also received $438 million in funding to rehabilitate, repair and replace bridges across the state, including the construction of a companion to the Brent Spence Bridge — which was finally greenlit through the infrastructure act after nearly 20 years of discussions.
“Projects of this magnitude simply don’t happen without something like the bipartisan infrastructure law,” Beshear said on a press call Thursday morning with U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “So I want to thank President Biden. I want to thank Vice President (Kamala) Harris. I want to thank the secretary for delivering this historic funding we requested.”
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Natalie Quillian and Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt also joined the call to celebrate the third anniversary of the signing and preview $3.4 billion in new grant announcements.
During the call, Beshear also highlighted the recent announcement of a $116.3-million federal grant to help expedite the final section of the Mountain Parkway Expansion project, saying it will open up more parts of Appalachia to bring more manufacturing and economic development.
“This is truly a road that will bring opportunity, and it’s been promised for 40-plus years, but the funding is there for the first time in our history,” Beshear said.
Beshear also thanked Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell, among others, who supported the act.
Buttigieg said the $3.4 billion in new grants will support state and locally-led projects, including improving railway safety, enhancing the rail along the northeast corridor and supporting domestic manufacturing of sustainable transportation materials.
“The 2020s will be viewed as a turning point that ushered in the improvements that will sustain our 21st and even 22nd-century economy,” Buttigieg said.
Quillian said the Biden administration is remaining focused on “accelerating our permitting timelines” and continuing to lower costs and expand opportunities across the country in its final weeks in office.
“This agenda has already improved the lives of millions of Americans, and we know that the full impacts of it will even be felt for years to come,” Quillian said.
Reach reporter Hannah Pinski at @hpinski@courier-journal.com or follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @hannahpinski.