U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will visit Alaska next week.
His office announced visits to Kotzebue, Anchorage and Juneau on the three-day trip starting Monday.
The trip is intended to highlight the unprecedented level of federal spending on the state’s infrastructure, made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The state’s total, as of last month, comes to $5.2 billion spread across 934 projects, according to a Biden administration fact sheet. About half of the money is for highways, bridges and other transportation infrastructure. The state is also in line to receive $1 billion for broadband expansion and a substantial amount for water projects.
A visit by a cabinet secretary also allows the state’s congressional delegation to focus high-level attention on its priorities. U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan will accompany Buttigieg in Kotzebue while Sen. Lisa Murkowski will join him on his Southeast swing.
Congress passed the trillion-dollar Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2021, with the votes of both Alaska senators.
Liz Ruskin is the Washington, D.C., correspondent at Alaska Public Media. Reach her at lruskin@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Liz here.
