Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework
- The Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework is the largest long-term investment in our infrastructure in nearly a century. It is:
- Four times the infrastructure investment in the 2009 Recovery Act
- The largest investment in public transit in history
- The largest investment in passenger rail since the creation of Amtrak
- The largest investment in repairing our nation’s bridges since the construction of the interstate highway system
- It will build a nationwide network of electric vehicle chargers, eliminate the nation’s lead service lines and pipes, and will accomplish the President’s goal of getting every American reliable, affordable, high-speed internet. The Framework is the largest investment in clean transmission in American history, and will create good-paying union jobs addressing legacy pollution and advancing environmental justice.
The Need for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework in Wisconsin
Wisconsin’s infrastructure received a C grade on its Infrastructure Report Card. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework will make a historic investment in our nation’s infrastructure.
- Roads and Bridges: In Wisconsin, there are 979 bridges and over 1,949 miles of highway in poor condition. The Framework will devote more than $300 billion to transform our nation’s transportation infrastructure, including more than $100 billion repairing roads and bridges.
- Public Transportation: Wisconsinites who take public transportation spend an extra 62.7% of their time commuting, and non-white households are 5.9 times more likely to commute via public transportation. The Framework will make a $49 billion investment in public transit.
- Resilient Infrastructure: From 2010 to 2020, Wisconsin has experienced 42 extreme weather events, costing the state up to $50 billion in damages. The Framework invests nearly $50 billion to improve the resiliency of our infrastructure and support communities’ recovery.
- Drinking Water: Over the next 20 years, Wisconsin’s drinking water infrastructure will require $8.6 billion in additional funding. The Framework includes a $55 billion investment to ensure clean, safe drinking water is a right in all communities.
- Broadband: Nearly 14% of Wisconsin residents (including more than 44% of rural Wisconsin residents) live in areas where, by one definition, there is no broadband infrastructure that provides minimally acceptable speeds. And 69% of Wisconsinites live in areas where there is only one such provider. 14% of Wisconsin households do not have an internet subscription. The Framework will invest $65 billion to bring universal, reliable, and affordable coverage to every family.
- Clean Energy Jobs: As of 2019, there were 76,685 Wisconsinites working in clean energy. The Framework is the single largest investment in clean energy transmission in American history, and creates a first-of-its-kind Infrastructure Financing Authority that will leverage billions of dollars into clean transportation and clean energy.
La Crosse Municipal Transit Utility
La Crosse Municipal Transit Utility is a small transit agency owned and operated by the City of La Crosse with service in La Crosse, French Island, and Onalaska, Wisconsin and La Crescent, Minnesota. The agency offers 10 bus routes and paratransit services for people with disabilities or other riders unable to use traditional bus service.
Prior to the pandemic, La Crosse Municipal Transit Utility provided approximately 900,000 passenger trips per year with 55 employees and 41 buses and other vehicles. In 2018, MTU was awarded a Federal grant to purchase two electric buses, charging stations, and related infrastructure. Earlier this year, MTU and Excel energy announced a partnership to install the chargers this summer to accommodate the new buses, expected to arrive in fall 2021. This is part of a broader strategy for the City of La Crosse to achieve a goal of 100% renewable energy by 2050. The buses are being manufactured by Proterra, whose Greenville, South Carolina facility the President visited on a virtual tour in April.
The maintenance facility also serves the City of La Crosse Street Department, which is responsible for maintaining the City’s streets, repairing potholes, managing snow and ice control removal, maintaining traffic lights, and painting crosswalks.
