As the days get longer and the weather warms, our thoughts turn to spring pastimes like gardening, baseball and waiting in traffic as roadwork season kicks into gear.

The last is not necessarily a negative thing. Short-term pain can lead to long-term gain, especially this spring, as a burst of federal funding spurs long-neglected infrastructure repairs.

In Schuylkill County, the long-awaited Frackville Grade project is finally underway. The $115 million project will rehabilitate a crumbling 4.4-mile section of Route 61 with $21 million coming from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in November 2021.

Any number of projects across Northeast Pennsylvania have been green-lighted or speeded up because of increased federal funding under the Infrastructure Law. In Scranton, work has begun on the replacement of the Green Ridge Street Bridge. And planning is underway to demolish the closed Water Street Bridge in Pittston and build a new one by 2026.

The “bipartisan” part of the law’s title is perhaps overblown, as only 19 of the 50 Republican senators at the time voted “aye.” In the House, controlled in 2021 by Democrats, only 13 GOP members approved. Of course, that hasn’t stopped many of them from issuing news releases and attending ribbon cuttings when these important projects land in their districts. Republican Rep. Dan Meuser, who represents all of Schuylkill County, voted no on the bill.

But in the spirit of bipartisanship, let’s focus on the good the $1 trillion bill has wrought. As of the end of February, $14.7 billion in Infrastructure Law funding has been announced for 445 projects in Pennsylvania. Those projects go well beyond roads and bridges, paying for improvements in internet access, water systems, public transit, airports and the electrical grid.

Those are investments in the commonwealth’s and the nation’s future, facilitating trade, economic growth and opportunity. They show what we can still achieve if we work together in the spirit of democracy and compromise.

For too long, the U.S. neglected upkeep of the systems that allow us to prosper as “infrastructure weeks” came and went. The Infrastructure Law broke an impasse that was holding us back as other countries constructed modern airports, high-speed rail lines and robust telecommunications networks.

As we get deeper into this national election year, we should focus less on the rhetoric that divides us and more on the initiatives we can pursue together that will make us a stronger nation. And we should hold candidates at all levels accountable by insisting they address what they can achieve in office to further the common good, even if that means reaching across the aisle.

Because putting up with some painful bipartisanship in the short term, like enduring stalled traffic for a highway construction project, can lead to a better, brighter future.

Scranton Times-Tribune