California’s Infrastructure is Getting a Makeover. Here’s How.

SACRAMENTO – California’s infrastructure is getting a makeover. Not since the 1950s and 60s has the state undergone such a significant upgrade, and it’s all thanks to record state and federal dollars.

Governor Gavin Newsom recently visited the Golden Gate Bridge – one of the most iconic pieces of infrastructure in America – to highlight record tourism spending and his agenda to build more, faster. The visit coincides with the one-year anniversary since the Governor launched sweeping legislative reforms and signed an executive order speeding up infrastructure projects.

Watch the Governor’s video here ⬇️

We're building more infrastructure, faster, for all!

California is cutting red tape and speeding up construction so we can take advantage of an estimated $180 billion of state & federal funding over the next 10 years.

Find projects in your community at https://t.co/6r76pwjox0! pic.twitter.com/Od4jED2bqu

— California Governor (@CAgovernor) May 9, 2024

The Governor’s infrastructure efforts are helping the state take full advantage of an unprecedented $180 billion in state, local, and federal infrastructure funds over the next ten years. Find projects in your community at build.ca.gov.

These investments are critical to achieving California’s world-leading climate and clean energy goals while also creating up to 400,000 good-paying jobs.

More than $41 billion is already at work across the state:

• Building a new system of clean energy
• Moving the state away from dirty fossil fuels
• Building and repairing our roads, bridges, and public transit
• Bringing high-speed internet to every Californian
• Protecting communities from wildfire
• Cleaning the air and restoring our natural spaces
• Growing our economy

“Everywhere you turn in California, construction crews are hard at work delivering infrastructure upgrades critical to our future. We are improving our roads and bridges, adding new sources of clean energy, bringing high-speed internet to more people, protecting communities from climate extremes, and restoring natural habitats.

Together, we’re building California’s future for all – and we’re doing it faster and at an unprecedented scale, unmatched anywhere in America.”

Governor Gavin Newsom

Dollars are at work across California

🌎 Climate: California’s efforts to build cleaner, greener and safer communities are especially focused on improving people’s lives in areas that are disadvantaged, underserved or disproportionately burdened by pollution. California has invested nearly $25 billion in the past three years to increase climate resiliency and adaptation projects and build more infrastructure projects for water, environmental restoration, energy and many others. Actions include:

• Strengthening the state’s water resiliency, boost water supply and secure safe drinking water.
• Building a 100% clean electric grid.
• Moving away from fossil fuels.
• Cleaning the air and restoring our natural spaces.
• Restoring healthy forests while improving resiliency to wildfires.
• Increasing shade and nature spaces in urban and underserved communities.

🚆 Transportation: Roughly halfway through the five-year Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) – also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – California has received nearly $30 billion in federal infrastructure funding to upgrade the state’s roads, bridges, rail, public transit, airports and seaports, and electric vehicle charging network. These federal transportation investments alone have already created more than 87,000 jobs. The influx of federal funding is on top of more than $10 billion in unprecedented state investments in transit and intercity rail projects, safe walking and biking options, and upgrades to the state’s economy-powering supply chain in the past two years.

🚗 Zero-emission vehicles: As California nears two million zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) sold, billions are being invested to meet projected infrastructure needs. Last year, Governor Newsom also signed a bill extending the CEC’s Clean Transportation Program, providing a dedicated source of funding for zero-emission charging and refueling through 2035. At its April Business Meeting, the CEC approved $771 million to support implementation of the Clean Transportation Program. The bulk of the dollars will go to support incentives for zero-emission truck and bus charging and refueling projects.

⚡ Energy: California is in the middle of the biggest transformation of its power grid in a century. The continued rise in renewables and decline in fossil fuel use come as the state experiences an unprecedented barrage of climate impacts, from heat waves to drought and wildfires. Non-fossil-fuel sources now make up 61 percent of retail electricity sales in California thanks to historic investment that has led to an extraordinary pace of development in new clean energy generation.

• Since 2020, new energy projects statewide have brought more than 16,000 MW of new energy resources online, mostly solar and battery storage.
• Last month, Governor Newsom celebrated the state’s build-out of storage resources which now exceeds 10,000 MW.
• To maintain progress, the California Public Utilities Commission has ordered 18,800 MW of new clean resources to come online by 2028.

🌐 Broadband: California continues making progress building the nation’s largest Middle-Mile Broadband Network. To date, more than 65% of the Middle-Mile Broadband Network has reached the critical milestones of pre-construction, construction, purchase, and/or lease—nearly 15 months ahead of schedule. With approximately $2.9 billion currently at work and creating jobs, the Middle-Mile Broadband Initiative is on track to have 2,664 miles under construction by the end of this year.