Local Leaders Praise Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - With the bipartisan infrastructure bill now law, Pennsylvania is set to receive $18 billion of the money. Local leaders said Wednesday that some of that money will be used in the southwestern part of the state.
One of the most exciting things about this bipartisan bill for local leaders is the amount of jobs it'll create. Not only that, but they say they can finally say yes to projects that have been held off for so long.
Right in front of Pittsburgh's sister bridges, local leaders praised the infrastructure bill and talked about how much it will help southwestern Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania will be getting $18 billion from the bill but could end up with more down the road. Leaders say those dollars are expected to be put to use in the spring or summer of 2022 for construction.
Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald says he's been forced to say no to more than his fair share of projects over the years but a lot of that can now get done thanks to this funding.
"There's so many things that we have needs that have been put off and deferred for years and years and the fact is now we can do things like fixing up the Parkway that needs to be done, fixing up the McKees Rocks Bridge, the widening of streets, the extension of the busways to have access for people who have been left behind in this economic time," he said.
Once those orange cones start popping up, Fitzgerald says there could be short-term pain for a long-term gain, talking about the possible traffic backups. But he says the improvement to quality of life in our area will be worth it.