We need another infrastructure law

Carlo Scissura is president and CEO of the New York Building Congress, a membership coalition of more than 500 organizations and 250,000 skilled professionals and tradespeople in the New York City area. Opinions are the author’s own.

America will see a new administration next week, and its agenda for the next four years is beginning to coalesce. As President-elect Donald Trump’s term begins, we pledge to work with congressional leadership on both sides of the aisle with the goal of uniting the country — metaphorically and literally.

We cannot afford to ignore our nation’s crumbling infrastructure, including our urban centers. Americans need a renewed commitment from lawmakers of all political stripes to come together and act now to advance a new, robust infrastructure plan that can reshape the nation’s physical landscape in a way that bolsters economic resilience and confronts the demands of a rapidly changing country. Our future depends on it.

Signed by President Joe Biden just over three years ago, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the bipartisan infrastructure law, represented a strong step in the right direction to address much-needed repairs and expansions to our roads, bridges, water systems, public transportation, broadband and beyond. The law brought $1.2 trillion to key projects across America. 

From $100 million to build broadband internet networks across South Dakota to improving highways outside Shreveport, Louisiana, these seemingly unconnected local projects are not only creating jobs but generating economic revenue and strengthening connections between communities.   

In my home state of New York, the IIJA has allocated $22.7 billion in funding, with over 515 specific projects already identified. New York City recently announced that its Federal Infrastructure Funding Task Force secured more than $2.3 billion in grants to support upgrades to its infrastructure and prepare for the impacts of severe weather. States across the country — from Alaska to Florida — are seeing the same progress on key projects in their own communities. 

At the New York Building Congress, a coalition of more than 500 organizations and 250,000 skilled professionals and tradespeople in the construction industry, we recognize the historic nature of this investment that puts people over politics. For over a century, we have advocated for this type of investment in our infrastructure — not only in New York City but throughout the United States. Our members are the people working every day to build our cities and communities, but they cannot do it alone. 

The construction industry remains one of the strongest paths to the middle class for thousands of American workers. The COVID-19 pandemic stunted growth across the country’s workforce, but thanks in part to legislation like the IIJA, along with state-driven reforms, we are now on track for a stronger recovery. In New York state alone, our construction workforce is now set to match its pre-pandemic level of 590,000 workers within a year. 

Propelling growth

We want to see more people prosper in the construction industry by working good-paying jobs and building better lives for themselves and their families. A new infrastructure plan will boost our industry even more and help reach the new administration’s goal of championing manufacturing, infrastructure and the workforce. It can also bring about dream projects like high-speed rail, smart roadways and state-of-the-art, future-proof energy networks.

A new infrastructure law can further propel economic growth, bring more essential improvements to our communities and generate hundreds of thousands of jobs. This will enrich lives, stimulate the U.S. economy and strengthen the infrastructure that is fundamental to America’s competitiveness. Such a law will help improve Americans’ current quality of life while setting the country up for future success with more resilient infrastructure, better prepared to withstand the ongoing impacts of more frequent severe weather events.