The House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Thursday approved legislation that reauthorizes for five years funding for surface transportation, and allocates some $1.22 billion to Puerto Rico during that period.

“This bill makes historic investments in our bridges and other critical infrastructure, reduces costs and construction delays, ensures states have the resources and flexibility they need, strengthens the Highway Trust Fund, encourages innovation and provides a framework for the safe integration of autonomous commercial vehicles on our highways,” said Committee Chairman Republican Sam Graves (Missouri).

Thursday’s voting session in the committee lasted 14 hours.

The legislation would allocate $995 million in funds for highway projects in Puerto Rico between fiscal years 2027 and 2031.

For federal fiscal year 2027, which begins in October, the measure the measure would allow Puerto Rico to receive $191 million in highway funds, an increase of just under $4 million compared to current appropriations.

Over the next four years, highway appropriations under the bipartisan bill would increase to $195 million (2028), $199 million (2029), $203 million (2030) and $207 million (2031).

Compared to the most recent draft, the five-year allocation for the island represents an increase of $95 million, according to the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration (PRFAA).

Applauding the measure, the Democratic minority leader on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Rick Larsen (Texas), insisted that “you can’t have a big league economy with little league infrastructure.”

PRFAA’s executive director, Gabriella Boffelli, has pointed out that the legislation includes $225 million -over five years- for projects aimed at improving bridge infrastructure in Puerto Rico.

The legislation incorporates, in turn, a measure that Governor Jenniffer González, when she was resident commissioner in Washington, pushed for the Puerto Rico government to be able to issuecommercial driver’s licenses(CDL) that are valid in the United States.

For the resident commissioner in Washington, Pablo José Hernández, the legislation that allows the issuance of commercial driver’s licenses in Puerto Rico, which he co-sponsored, "advances the economic development" of the archipelago.

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This content was translated from Spanish to English using artificial intelligence and was reviewed by an editor before being published.