(Washington, DC) The Bowser Administration, through the Deputy Mayor for Operations and Infrastructure and partnering agencies, will celebrate National Infrastructure Week, May 16-20, 2022, with a series of events and announcements that will highlight Mayor Bowser’s significant investments in infrastructure programs across all eight wards of the District.

“Thanks to Mayor Bowser’s visionary leadership, the District has made significant progress in infrastructure programs across all sectors--from transportation and the environment, to workforce development--and that is something to celebrate,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations and Infrastructure Lucinda Babers. “During National Infrastructure Week we are putting the spotlight on the great work that agencies across District government are doing to make our city a more equitable, sustainable, and resilient place to live.”

This week’s events and announcements will focus on the District’s efforts:

• To repair and rebuild the District’s bridges and roadways to ensure healthy, equitable, and sustainable transportation options for all roadway users;
• That promote a more sustainable and resilient environment;
• That maximize federal investments the District will receive under President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), through the DC Build Back Better Infrastructure Task Force;
• To provide quick and continuous technological innovation that will improve service delivery and ensure everyone has access to the internet; and
• To give residents a fair shot at economic prosperity, shape the District’s workforce, and create pathways to the middle class for all Washingtonians, through the District of Columbia Infrastructure Academy (DCIA).

The Mayor’s Fiscal Year 2023 Fair Shot Budget proposes significant investments in the District’s infrastructure, including $200 million over six years for longer-term streetscape projects to redesign our most dangerous roads and intersections; $10 million a year for traffic calming measures; $36 million over six years to add 10 new miles of protected bike lanes annually; $57 million to complete the K Street Transitway; $102 million over six years to continue a transformative bus transit plan; $15 million over six years to continue expanding Capital Bikeshare so that every resident has a station within a quarter-mile of their home; $125 million over six years for new or rehabilitated trails; and $18.5 million for a new pedestrian and bicycle bridge to Kingman Island.

Highlights of the week will include:

Monday, May 16

• Mayor Bowser to announce efforts to increase access to high-speed internet with the Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO)
• DCIA Infrastructure Hiring Event and Community College Preparatory Academy certification training
• Graffiti blitz by the Department of Public Works (DPW), also as part of National Public Works Week

Tuesday, May 17

• DCIA and Pepco will host an Open House
• DPW MuralsDC tour, also part of National Public Works Week
• Department of Energy and Environment participates in FedEx community solar event

Wednesday, May 18

• Mayor Bowser holds infrastructure event and bond signing ceremony
• DPW Employee Appreciation Day
• DCIA/Pepco Commercial Driver License Graduation
• Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Summit (Department of Transportation (DDOT))

Thursday, May 19

• DCIA Women in Infrastructure Panel Discussion
• Mayor Bowser presents Shovels and Celebrations: The Stacks Groundbreaking, Bridge District Groundbreaking and Sandlot Anacostia Sneak Preview

Friday, May 20

• Mayor Bowser celebrates Bike to Work Day with DDOT

Saturday, May 21

• Mayor Bowser celebrates Open Streets in Ward 8; DDOT’s 20th anniversary

Some recent infrastructure accomplishments from the Bowser Administration include:

• Celebrating the opening of the new Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge (FDMB) and the Parkside Pedestrian Bridge. The iconic FDMB, which connects Wards 6 and 8, represents strong local and federal investments in the District’s infrastructure, with most of its $440 million funding coming from federal grants combined with more than $250 million in local taxpayer dollars. The Parkside Bridge in Ward 7 provides safe, well-lit, accessible pedestrian and bicycle travel between neighborhoods and a local Metrorail station.
• Announcing the largest federal investment ever in the District’s bridge network —$225 million over five years from the Federal Highway Administration’s bridge program, through BIL.
• Finalizing DDOT’s DC Smart Street Lighting project. This $309 million DDOT and Office of Public-Private Partnerships (OP3) project will convert more than 75,000 streetlights to energy-efficient LED technology.
• Connecting residents to high-demand careers through the DCIA, which Mayor Bowser opened in 2018 to create a pipeline to in-demand jobs in the rapidly growing infrastructure sector. Since then, DCIA has connected more than 2,000 residents and has a 90% graduation rate. In FY22, the Mayor invested an additional $5.2 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to expand DCIA programming to an additional 200 residents. Additional funding, totaling $7.4 million, from the ARPA will be used to expand apprenticeship opportunities in FY22. The funds account for 313 apprenticeship participants, 38 government apprenticeships, 110 youth apprenticeships, and 165 job training apprenticeships.

The infrastructure task force is currently soliciting feedback from District residents on how the city should prioritize funding projects under the BIL. For more information, go to infrastructure.dc.gov.

Contact:
Gwen Cofield ­— (202) 841-0143, [email protected]