WASHINGTON — A group of 22 House members from both parties introduced legislation on Tuesday that would create a permanent federal fund devoted entirely to maintaining roads, bridges, water mains and transit systems that already exist, rather than building new ones.
The bill, called the Fix It First Act, would set aside $48 billion a year for 10 years and require states to spend the money on repairs, resurfacing and replacement of structures rated in poor condition. Supporters say the measure targets a problem that rarely draws headlines until something fails: a backlog of deferred maintenance that engineers estimate runs well into the hundreds of billions of dollars.
“Nobody holds a press conference to celebrate a repaved overpass,” said Rep. Daniel Whitcomb, a co-sponsor whose district includes dozens of rural bridges more than 70 years old. “But that overpass is how a school bus gets to school and how a dairy truck gets to market. We have been funding ribbon cuttings and starving upkeep.”
How the money would flow
Under the proposal, funds would be distributed by formula based on the number of structures each state reports in poor condition, the miles of aging water pipe in its largest systems and its population. States could not use the money to add highway lanes or start new projects until they had reduced their poor-condition inventory by at least 15 percent.
The bill also requires each state to publish an online dashboard listing every bridge and major water main scheduled for work, along with its expected completion date and cost. Sponsors describe the dashboard as a way to show taxpayers what they are getting.
- $48 billion a year for 10 years, indexed to construction costs
- 15 percent reduction in poor-condition assets required before new construction
- 20 percent of each state’s share reserved for towns under 50,000 people
- Public dashboards tracking every funded project
Rep. Carla Nunez, who represents a dense urban district, said her constituents deal with water main breaks that flood basements and shut down streets for days. “Our pipes were laid when horses still pulled delivery wagons,” she said. “Fixing them is not glamorous, but it is the most basic job government has.”
Questions about the price tag
Not everyone is convinced. Budget analysts at the nonpartisan Granite Policy Institute said the bill does not yet identify how it would be paid for, and that a dedicated fund could crowd out other transportation priorities if Congress does not raise new revenue.
Everyone agrees maintenance matters. The hard part is deciding what we stop paying for, or what we start charging for, to make room for it.
Helen Marsh, senior fellow, Granite Policy Institute
Some state transportation officials also raised concerns about the 15 percent threshold, arguing that fast-growing regions need new capacity at the same time they repair old roads. A spokesman for an association of state highway engineers said the group supports the goal but wants more flexibility for states with rapidly expanding populations.
Sponsors said they are open to changes and plan to hold a series of field hearings this fall in towns where bridges have been closed or weight-limited. They pointed to a recent survey showing that a majority of voters in both parties rank road and water repair among their top local concerns.
The bill has been referred to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Leaders there have not said when they might take it up, but aides said the measure could be folded into a broader surface transportation package expected next year. For now, co-sponsors are leaning on a simple message. “If you own a house, you know you fix the roof before you build the deck,” Whitcomb said. “The country should run the same way.”
