News Article

Federal funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act championed by Vice President Kamala Harris has played a huge part in fixing the I-95 bridge in Northeastern Philadelphia. 

One year ago – June 11, 2023 – a tanker truck carrying gasoline tipped over under the bridge, caught on fire, and caused the bridge to collapse. With an average of 160,000 vehicles using the I-95 bridge daily, the community worried about a traffic nightmare and a supply chain meltdown. 

After the collapse, Vice President Harris, President Biden and Governor Shapiro acted quickly, using $3 million in federal emergency funds to temporarily fix the bridge and get it up and running in just 12 days, which newspapers called a “small miracle.”

A year later, the bridge construction is nearly complete, and the project is partially funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Harris fought for. Union workers led the reconstruction. 

I-95 isn’t the only road that has benefited from these infrastructure investments. In Pittsburgh, funding from that law is being used to rebuild the Forbes Avenue bridge that crumbled in 2023. 

In total, $8.4 billion from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act has been given to Pennsylvania for roads, bridges, roadway safety, and major projects. Pennsylvania is also set to see $13.2 billion over the next five years for public transit projects under the same law. 

This is only the beginning of Vice President Harris’ plan to invest in America, which will improve infrastructure while creating high-paying union jobs.