Elaine Nessle, executive director of the Coalition for America’s Gateways & Trade Corridors, tracks the progress of transportation infrastructure projects across the country.

“After many a year, we are finally on the upswing,” Nessle says, referring to the decades-long backlog of funding required for critical infrastructure improvements, which began finally to loosen up with passage in 2021 of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. That triggered “a big boom” in projects, she says, although “it cannot be restated enough that we are making up for lost time, and much more is needed.” 

A lot of projects are underway as a result of the law signed by President Biden, while many others still await funding. Some of the public agencies targeted for funding have been officially notified that the money is approved, but have yet to sign a grant agreement that would release the dollars. “It fair to say that there’s been a lengthy process,” Nessle says.

Some have criticized the 2021 funding measure for failing to simultaneously streamline the federal approval process for infrastructure projects. Nessle says it’s a complex problem, involving multiple government agencies and private interests, especially when it comes to the big projects that are prioritized by CAGTC members. One possible way to speed things up, she says, is to publish a funding agreement template at the time of an award notice, so that the receiving public agency can begin compiling all of the data it needs to move forward.

Will progress toward infrastructure improvement continue under the second Trump administration? Nessle noted that Trump has spoken of a desire to invest in “big and meaningful projects.” At the same time, the massive federal employment cutbacks now underway could have an impact on federal project approval. “We want to be sure that there are a requisite number of eyes on the paperwork in a timely fashion,” she says.