Big Sky Times

FUNDING COMES FROM RAISE GRANTS SECURED THROUGH THE SENATOR’S BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT AND JOBS ACT (IIJA)

U.S. Senator Jon Tester today secured $19.3 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation to upgrade a key segment of Mill Creek Highway (Hwy 569) in Anaconda-Deer Lodge County. The funding will come from the RAISE Grant program which Tester fought for in his bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Tester was the only member of Montana’s congressional delegation to support this bill and was one of the lead bipartisan negotiators who crafted the package.

“By investing in local infrastructure we are supporting Montana communities and improving our economy,” said Tester. “That’s why I worked with Republicans and Democrats to pass my bipartisan infrastructure law that will create good-paying jobs by investing in Montana’s roads, bridges, high-speed internet, water systems, and more. I am proud to have worked with community leaders to secure this funding to upgrade the Mill Creek Highway and look forward to seeing this project get done.”

Securing funding for the Mill Creek Road project was one of Tester’s top priorities this Congress. This project would upgrade a key segment of Mill Creek Highway (Hwy 569). The Mill Creek Highway is a critical highway that connects businesses and residents of Anaconda with the Big Hole Valley. The Mill Creek Highway proposal would reconstruct and widen a 4.5-mile stretch of an S-curved road on Hwy 569.  This section of highway is in poor condition and dangerous. The project has strong support from Anaconda-Deer Lodge County, the Big Hole Watershed Group, the state’s Fish, Wildlife and Parks, and the Montana Department of Transportation.

You can find Tester’s letters of support for this project HERE.

Tester worked across the aisle for months to negotiate the IIJA with a group of five Republicans, four Democrats, and the White House. Tester’s law is projected to create more than 800,000 American jobs and lower costs for businesses by making targeted investments that will strengthen our nation without raising taxes on working families.

Tester secured significant wins for Montana in the legislation, including $2.82 billion for Montana’s roads, highways, and bridges; $2.5 billion to complete all authorized Indian water rights settlements; $1 billion to complete all authorized rural water projects through the Bureau of Reclamation; $65 billion to deploy broadband to areas across the country that lack internet access and additionally make online connectivity affordable; and $3.37 billion to reduce wildfire risk nationwide, among others. A full list of Montana provisions in Tester’s bipartisan infrastructure law can be found HERE.

Original source can be found here.