The bipartisan infrastructure law is investing billions of dollars in Ohio’s roads and bridges.

Last month, I joined President Biden, former Senator Rob Portman and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell at the Brent Spence Bridge to announce that the federal government will finally make the long-overdue investment of more than $1.6 billion to build a new companion bridge crossing between Ohio and Kentucky. But the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is doing much more for Ohio transportation.     

When I became the chairman of the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee two years ago the committee focused far too much on Wall Street. But we changed that so it now focuses on issues that matter to working people – like housing and public transit.

As chair, I worked on a bipartisan basis to include the biggest investment in transit EVER in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. With more than $264 million dollars for transit across Ohio just this year, we’re upgrading public transportation at the same time we are improving our state’s roads and bridges. Better transit means investing in new zero-emission electric buses and new low-emissions buses that run on natural gas. This will also mean riders will get to experience faster and safer service.

Transit is all about the Dignity of Work – it creates jobs, connects people to employment, draws investment and helps create and grow opportunity in communities. Workers, employers and entrepreneurs have all been asking for better transit and now we’re delivering.

Ohio’s transit agencies provide essential service. I encourage every Ohioan to thank our transit workers, and keep talking to me and my office about what kind of transportation and infrastructure investments you want to see.

— Sherrod Brown is a Democrat and the senior U.S. senator representing Ohio.