WATCH: Kelly Pushes to End Infrastructure Funding Freeze Blocking Arizona Bridge Repairs

This week, during a Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee hearing on the implementation of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), Arizona Senator Mark Kelly called out the Trump administration’s decision to freeze critical infrastructure funds, which has stalled transportation projects in Arizona and across the country.  

Earlier this year, the Trump administration issued an executive order pausing the disbursement of funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which support highway and bridge repairs and transit improvements. Among the impacted projects is the Interstate 40 bridge repair in Northern Arizona, which would restore four aging bridges that no longer meet modern safety standards. These bridges are a key link to the Navajo Nation and are a critical trade corridor to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.  

During the hearing, Kelly—who helped negotiate and pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law—highlighted the success of the Bridge Investment Program, and how federal funding freezes are disrupting local project planning and execution, forcing contractors and engineers to delay or cancel work without clear guidance on when funds will be restored.  

“In December, the Department of Transportation announced that more than 11,400 bridges are being repaired thanks to that program. One of these projects is in Northern Arizona on Interstate 40, repairing four bridges that were built back in 1963 that don’t meet current safety standards,” said Kelly. “This is exactly the type of project we had in mind when we passed the bipartisan infrastructure law. And yet, by needlessly politicizing basic infrastructure investments, communities in Arizona and across the country are facing needless uncertainty.”

Click here to download a video of Kelly’s remarks. See the transcript below: 

Sen. Kelly: So, one of the flagship programs we created in the law was the bridge improvement program, and it did some really rather simple, non-controversial things, which is funding the repairs to failing bridges, and Mr. McMurry, I’m going to ask, you know, you the same question here. You know that program was created following all of the best practices that our witnesses here mentioned that you guys mentioned in your testimony. 

The majority of the funding is allocated to the states through a formula program to focus on pressing needs, and then for the projects that fall through the cracks, there is a discretionary grant program that’s available. And the program was successful.  

In December, the Department of Transportation announced that more than 11,400 bridges are being repaired thanks to that program. And when bridges aren’t repaired, they can fail, and people can die. Now, one of these projects is in Northern Arizona on Interstate forty. And it repairs four bridges that were built back in 1963 that don’t meet current safety standards. These bridges provide access to the capital of the Navajo Nation. They also form the backbone of the trade corridor that leads to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Yet for the last thirty-six days now, this project has been halted due to the Trump administration’s funding freeze.  

This is exactly the type of project which those of us who negotiated the bipartisan infrastructure law had in mind. And yet, by needlessly politicizing basic investments in infrastructure communities, in Arizona, across the country are facing needless uncertainty. So, Mr. Carroll, first for you, I imagine your department has received a number of competitive grants over the years. Can you speak to how halting the disbursement of awarded funds disrupts a local recipient’s ability to plan and execute projects?  

Michael Carroll, Deputy Managing Director of the Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems for the City of Philadelphia: Yeah, I think it’s clear that we need to, you know, engage with the contracting community as quickly as we can to make sure that we get these projects under construction to make sure that we meet the construction deadlines which are statutory.  

Sen. Kelly: But how can you meet the deadlines without the funding?  

Mr. Carroll: Well, this is the problem. We need to at least get clarity so that we can plan. Many of our projects are funded through federal funds, they aren’t all, but we want to prioritize the ones that have these types of deadlines, and so that may mean that engineers, and you know contractors are going to need to rearrange what they’re doing. So, even to get phone calls answered, even the answer is you have to wait to know how long you have to wait and why you have to wait or what you have to do in order to get the work going. That’s some certainty, and we would take that, but we’re not getting that kind of information. It’s nerve-wracking.  

Sen. Kelly: And Mr. McMurry, can you weigh in as well? How does this affect long term planning, and do you become like hesitant to apply for future discretionary grants because of the actions of the administration?  

Russell R McMurry, Commissioner, Georgia Department of Transportation: Well, first I go back to the grant agreements, and thank you for this leadership from this committee on the bridge investment program for both large and small because these kinds of programs are very necessary for big, large bridges, often crossing state lines to have the ability for states to compete to be able to pull down dollars where it would be such a budget impact to one state or the other to try to do a bi-state crossing. So, going back again, AASHTO supports, and Georgia supports any grant agreement that’s been executed. We feel that it needs to move forward now, and the bridge investment program is a great example of foundational investment for infrastructure.  

Sen. Kelly: Do you have any of these projects that you know of that have been cut off of funds?   

Mr. McMurry: South Carolina and Georgia jointly have a bridge investment grant for planning again for crossing the state line on Interstate 85 and we’re in the planning stages of that, we haven’t got to the construction phase.  

Sen. Kelly: Alright, thank you.