Building Bridges for American Infrastructure

Ian Cheng — June 9, 2026

In exchange for a staggering five first-round draft picks, the Brooklyn Nets traded Mikal Bridges to their neighbors, the New York Knicks. Fans who criticized the high cost have likely shut up, especially because the Knicks are up 2-1 in this year’s NBA Finals. Now, some members of Congress are trying to replicate that high-risk, high-reward strategy in an entirely different realm.

On May 22nd, the House’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (T&I) approved the BUILD America 250 Act, short for Building Unrivaled Infrastructure and Long-term Development for America’s 250th anniversary. This provisional bipartisan bill would provide $580 billion in investment for American roads, bridges, highways, and rail over the next five years.

The bill aims to replace the funding from 2021’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), which expires on September 30th. Yet, there are stark differences between the two pieces of legislation. For example, the BIL authorized up to $108 billion for public transit and $66 billion for rail. Its emphasis on infrastructure modernization and eco-friendliness yielded results like the launch of Amtrak’s NextGen Acela high-speed trains in 2025, which both hold more passengers and consume roughly 20% less energy than first-generation Acela trains. In contrast, the BUILD Act cuts about 20% (~$43 billion) of this funding. Since improving and expanding public transportation is key to reducing carbon emissions, critics say that the bill does not do enough to address environmental concerns.

One of the bill’s headline proposals is the largest-ever investment into American bridges since the Interstate Highway System’s creation in 1956. More specifically, this includes a $46 billion Bridge Formula Program (BFP), which distributes funding to states who need to fix and maintain their bridges. In comparison, the BFP under the BIL was worth $26.5 billion. This funding boost will be instrumental in improving the “C” grade the US received for its 623,000 roadway bridges from the American Society of Civil Engineers. However, to simply maintain its existing bridges, the US needs to spend an estimated $373 billion over the next 10 years. This means that even after all of the BUILD Act’s funding, there’s still a $327 billion hole to fill over the next five years. Even worse, the effects of climate change, especially natural disasters, could further increase this cost. Thus, it could be argued that the bill’s plan to improve bridge infrastructure is flawed in the sense that its public transit and rail programs don’t address the environmental root causes exacerbating the bridge problem.

The BUILD Act also gives $87.6 billion to the Highway Trust Fund (HTF), which currently accounts for about 25% of American road and highway spending. Because the HTF allocates federal grants to local and state governments for the building and maintenance of roads and highways, T&I Committee Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-WA) says the bill will “replace crumbling roads.” Critically, some of this money will come from a new $130 annual registration fee for electric vehicles (EVs). Since combustion vehicle owners normally pay less than $130 in yearly gas taxes, opponents like Senate Finance Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) could argue that people would be disincentivized from buying EVs, in turn worsening the US’ clean-energy transition. On the other hand, EVs can be up to 1,000 pounds heavier than their gasoline counterparts, which could result in an exponential increase in road damage. Proponents of the registration fee could assert that this higher fee is essential for stable road maintenance.

The bill also introduces the first-ever federal framework for autonomous commercial motor vehicles (CMVs). These range from passenger vans to freight haulers, can be run by AI, and do not include smaller cars like robotaxis. For example, if the bill is passed, the Department of Transportation (DOT) would have to create and issue a “performance-based safety standard” for autonomous CMV manufacturers to comply with. Moreover, should an accident happen, these manufacturers would also be treated as the driver of the vehicle, making them liable for any damage, injuries, or deaths. These strict safety requirements may discourage innovation by making it more risky to build and release these types of vehicles. However, it may also show consumers that new autopilot technologies are safe and proven, thus increasing the possibility of widespread autonomous CMV adoption.

These are just some of the many policies within the 1,005 page draft. The BUILD Act also includes a $10 billion Bridge Completion Program to support new bridge projects. It also directs federal regulatory agencies that assess environmental impacts with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)’s review process to release decisions within 90 days. Unlike the New York Knicks, the bill still has a mountain to climb. It needs to go through the House Rules Committee, debate within both the House and Senate, and reconciliation before accomplishing its ultimate goal of reaching Donald Trump’s desk. Whether it succeeds like the Mikal Bridges trade or not, the BUILD America 250 Act signals major progress toward modernizing infrastructure.

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