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ARIZONA, USA — According to the Department of Transportation, Maricopa County was chosen as one of 23 counties nationwide in the first round of grants to build new bridges.
More than $460,000 will pay for preparations to renovate the old US 80 bridge in far west Maricopa County for foot traffic and bicycles. A separate bridge will be built in the same area for auto traffic.
Road upgrades in the infrastructure plan passed by Congress last year also include:
“This is the infrastructure we’ve been waiting for our entire lives, and it is already beginning to create and support good paying jobs,” said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Tuesday during an interview with 12News.
RELATED: Arizona to receive $1.04 billion from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
“Whether you’re in rural areas, Indian country, every part of the state is going to benefit from this funding.”
The $1 trillion infrastructure bill had bipartisan support nationally, but Arizona was split in party lines.
Democrat Representative Ruben Gallego called the bill a “real, tangible change that could be felt in all corners of the country.”
Republican Debbi Lesko criticized the bill as “missing the mark,” saying it “will add to our national debt.”
Buttigieg defends the spending, saying it will lower inflation in the long run.
“The cost of shipping goes down when we have better train systems, better roads, and bridges, better ports, all of which is what we’re doing with this new infrastructure law. It’s an investment in our economy. It’s an investment in our future,” Buttigieg said.
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