Funding Delays

Dec. 21, 2021 – The Federal Highway Administration noted in a statement on Dec. 15 that it plans to provide $52.5 billion in apportioned funding for fiscal year 2022 to all 50 states and the District of Columbia via the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or IIJA signed into law in November. However, states will be unable to receive a significant portion of that funding due to the continuing resolution (CR) passed by Congress on Dec. 3 that maintains fiscal year 2021 federal government funding levels through Feb. 18, 2022. The CR,  with its flat “obligation limitation,” means state departments of transportation cannot access the higher amounts of formula funding provided by the Highway Trust Fund via the IIJA, AASHTO said – funds that are about 20% higher for FY 2022 compared to the final year of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation or FAST Act.