Two San Diego-area lawmakers previewed on Monday the local improvements that will come from the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill passed by Congress last year.
Rep. Scott Peters vowed to help San Diego secure significant funding from the $7.5 billion earmarked in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for a national network of chargers for clean electric vehicles.
“The success of this landmark bill depends on focused federal, state, and local coordination to use these funds and ultimately improve San Diegans’ quality of life,” said Peters at a press conference with city and county leaders in Liberty Station.
Nathan Fletcher, chair of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, said the funds will “make it as easy to power up your family’s electric car as it is right now to put gas in an old pickup truck.”
At the same time, Rep. Mike Levin held a press conference in Oceanside to push for using a portion of the $29.5 billion coming to California for highways and bridges to upgrade the Interstate 5 and Route 78 interchange.
Improving the frequently traffic-clogged interchange is a top priority for Levin and North County lawmakers.
Last week Levin reported that the spending bill will provide $30.5 million in funding for the Encinitas-Solana Beach Coastal Storm Damage Reduction Project and $1.8 million for the Oceanside Special Shoreline Study.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has released a detailed preliminary list of the funding available to California from the infrastructure bill.