On Friday, Congress passed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill and the historic bill is now headed to President Biden’s desk for his signature. The infrastructure package is a key component of President Biden’s agenda and will make life better for millions of North Carolinians by creating good-paying jobs and economic growth. 

In an op-ed in INDY Week, Morrisville Mayor TJ Cawley and Kinston Mayor Don Hardy outline how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill will make significant impacts from the RTP to Eastern NC by making historic investments in repairing roads and bridges, expanding high-speed internet, safeguarding communities against extreme weather events, and much more. 

Read more below from INDY Week:

• In Kinston, we need storm resilient infrastructure to counteract the sacrificed lives, homes, and businesses lost amid extreme weather events, including two 1,000-year flood events within just the last five years. And in Morrisville and the Triangle, we need to keep up with traffic and road congestion as our region attracts more businesses, jobs and residents.

• These issues don’t just impact our cities. After suffering from decades-long neglect and a systematic lack of investment, North Carolina’s transportation system fails to set us up for success in the 21st century. There are 1,460 bridges and over 3,116 miles of highway in poor condition across our state. North Carolinians who use public transportation to get to work spend an extra 59.9 percent of their time commuting than those who drive, impacting communities of color the hardest. In just the past decade alone, 42 extreme weather events have caused North Carolina to spend $50 billion to repair damages. More than half of North Carolinians live in areas of our state where there’s only one internet provider.

• President Biden has understood since day one that the future of our cities and towns is incumbent on how our federal government invests today. He gets that we need to invest in our physical infrastructure in order for communities across North Carolina to compete and win for a generation to come.

• We are excited to get to work to implement the resources provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal for our communities. President Biden followed through on his promise to work across party lines and invest in our physical infrastructure. North Carolina will reap the rewards of this historic legislation.

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