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Flanked by a flock of Democrats and a handful of lonely-looking Republicans, President Joe Biden on Monday signed off on the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Obviously, $1.2 trillion is a lot of money – 12 billion $100 bills to be exact. However, a pair of Georgia news outlets already have broken down what the IIJA will mean for Georgia. According to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution article from late last week, Georgia is estimated to receive:
• at least $8.9 billion for roads
• at least $225 million dollars for bridges
• at least $100 million for broadband internet
• $1.4 billion for public transportation
• $619 million for airports
• $8 million for ports
• a yet-to-be-determined amount for "electric grid"
• $135 million for climate change
Meanwhile, a breakdown by Intown Atlanta and Captitol Beat News offered up matching figures, but added in "913 million for water projects."
So, how will some of the $11-plus billion allocated to Georgia trickle down to Baldwin County? Well, obviously "ports" are out of the question (Sinclair Marina and Bass Boat House and Haslam's Marina aren't exactly what Congress had in mind).
"Bridges" is a distinct possibility. Milledgeville-Baldwin County currently has six bridges built prior to 1961. One of those bridges, located over Barrows Ferry Road, already is slated to be replaced in 2022. Funding for that project, expected to come in at roughly $1.2 million, is coming from the state of Georgia.
"Bridges are expensive," County Manager Carlos Tobar recently told Baldwin2k. "I can't remember the last time that I saw a bridge project come in at less than one million dollars."
In terms of "airports," the Baldwin County Regional Airport continues to expand and has been made a priority by the county commission in recent years. County commissioners currently are exploring the option of building 30 more hangars, all privately funded, with no direct cost to the county government. Obviously, however, the supersized Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta will be the big winner, in terms of Georgia airports.
"Climate change" essentially is code for elective vehicle (EV) charging stations, similar to the ones put up in the Milledgeville Burger King parking lot last year. Regardless if more are built in Baldwin County or not, EV charging stations inevitably will become much more common sights for people when they're traveling around Georgia.
"Broadband internet" already is an initiative that's seen a flurry of activity in recent years in Baldwin County. Between ongoing projects by Tri-County EMC and Windstream, Baldwin County already was on track to be largely blanketed by broadband internet access within the next two or three year.
With $8.9 billion allocated for Georgia "roads," inevitably some of that will trickle down to Baldwin County, where a pair of Transportations SPLOST referendums have failed in recent years. With voters refusing to approve a penny-on-the-dollar sales tax for road repairs and transportation projects, the IIJA could be just what the doctor ordered for the county commissioners and City Council members.
