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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg addresses the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in September. The 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law is credited with assisting thousands of projects nationwide. (Mark Schiefelbein/Associated Press)

Approaching the three-year anniversary of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is pointing to the law’s impact on communities and commercial corridors.

The $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law enacted Nov. 15, 2021, is credited with assisting thousands of projects nationwide. Billions of dollars already have been directed to enhance supply chain connectivity, advance emerging technologies and reinforce severe-weather resilience.

, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced a recent round of financial assistance for myriad freight projects. More than $2.4 billion for 122 rail projects in 41 states and Washington, D.C., was awarded Oct. 29. This funding, which stemmed primarily from the infrastructure law, aligned with the Biden administration’s domestic economic agenda.

As Buttigieg observed, “Through the bipartisan infrastructure law, we’re funding rail infrastructure projects that create jobs and expand workforce development, reduce costs for consumers and directly benefit communities across the country. Each project advances a future where our supply chains are stronger, passenger rail more accessible, and freight movement safer and more efficient.”

Today, we're announcing funding for 122 rail projects to strengthen supply chains, improve passenger rail, and boost freight safety and efficiency.

The Biden-Harris infrastructure law is building out a safer and more efficient transportation network. — Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@SecretaryPete)

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On Capitol Hill, Democratic transportation leaders explained the rail funds will help to elevate the national conversation about mobility corridors in urban and rural regions. Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee ranking member, said Oct. 28: “In my district, the Puget Sound Rail Corridor is receiving funding to improve track safety. In New Mexico, the Navajo Nation and San Juan County are receiving funding to develop a new rail line that will serve as an alternative to freight trucking and give the Navajo nation access to rail-dependent economic opportunities. In Arizona, the city of Flagstaff is receiving funding to build a second, ADA-compliant boarding platform at its Amtrak station.”

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“Across the country,” Larsen continued, “the bipartisan infrastructure law continues to create jobs and deliver safer, cleaner, greener and more accessible transportation.”

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“As we expand rail nationwide, prioritizing rail safety is crucial,” added Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.), ranking member of the Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee. “Every year, thousands of preventable incidents occur, too many of which result in tragic losses at highway-grade crossings. I’m proud of the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to rail safety, with funding aimed at enhancing efficiency and reliability across the country.”

To promote the benefits associated with the IIJA, Buttigieg has visited freight projects central to strengthening the supply chain and boosting the commercial transportation workforce. Speaking to reporters recently, he reflected on the law’s future.

“These jobs and these projects could very easily have not happened if some of this legislation hadn’t passed under the leadership of the Biden-Harris administration,” the secretary said Oct. 21. “And so as we approach 2026, when we’ll be deciding what to do after the five-year life of this infrastructure bill and what a future infrastructure authorization is going to look like, it is very important to me that communities understand that the benefits that are coming to them — both the benefit of having new better roads, highways, bridges and ports and just the benefit of the jobs involved in building them — that we do connect those dots so people understand how that came about.”

We’ve announced historic funding for 44 new transportation projects nationwide. These grants will enhance safety, mobility, and the state of our infrastructure for future generations. — Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@SecretaryPete)

On Oct. 21, the department announced more than $4 billion in grants, including projects in Nevada, Ohio and Wisconsin to add truck parking capacity. The funds will be administered by the Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highway Projects program, backed primarily by the infrastructure law.

The Biden White House explained the law is meant to assist state agencies with the improvement of “railways, public transit infrastructure and the safety of our transportation system.”

“It further reauthorizes federal surface transportation programs for five years and invests billions [of dollars] in transformational projects that will create good-paying union jobs, grow the economy, and make our transportation system safer and more resilient,” according to background information the White House provided.