The economic projects that could reshape Biden's legacy

California has long been known for its car-centric culture.

However, in recent decades, there's been a major effort to bolster public transit throughout the state. In LA, the Los Angeles Metro Rail system is expanding its D Line. And a planned extension of the Bay Area Rapid Transit system, or BART, into Silicon Valley is poised to be a critical link in the San Francisco region.

A newer part of California's transit equation is high-speed rail.

The California High-Speed Rail project, which will connect San Francisco to the Los Angeles Basin as part of its first phase, is currently under construction.

And then there's Brightline West, a separate under-construction high-speed rail route that will link Las Vegas, Nevada, to Southern California.

In September 2024, the Federal Railroad Administration signed an agreement that'll direct $3 billion to the Nevada Department of Transportation for Brightline West. The signing came after a December 2023 announcement that the project would be awarded funding from the bipartisan infrastructure law.

Brightline West is expected to begin operations in 2028, just in time for the summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

The Airport Infrastructure Grants (AIG) program is part of the $25 billion allocated for airport and air traffic control improvements within the infrastructure law.

These investments will address some of the most pressing needs at airport facilities across the US. A slew of airports, from the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia to Hawaii's Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole, have already received funding from the program.

As part of the program, $20.1 million was awarded to the Atlanta airport in August 2024 to improve its taxiways and taxi lanes, while $49.6 million was granted to the Ellison Onizuka Kona airport to rehabilitate its Runway 17-35 that same month.

The John A. Blatnik Bridge serves as a vital transportation link between Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin. The bridge opened for traffic in 1961 and is in dire need of repairs.

Biden visited Superior in January 2024 to announce that $1.06 billion will be allocated to replace the aging bridge. A new bridge will allow for increased capacity and the construction project is expected to boost the area's economy in a considerable way.

According to the White House, the bridge in its current state was set to close by 2030.

"For decades, people talked about replacing this bridge, but it never got done, until today," Biden said during his visit to the Midwestern locale.

The bridge is set to be closed for construction for four years, beginning in 2027, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

The Interstate Bridge, also known as the Columbia River Interstate Bridge, carries Interstate 5 between Vancouver, Washington, and Portland, Oregon.

The bridge is a critical economic link in the Pacific Northwest and regional leaders for years have sought funding to replace the two spans.

Through the infrastructure law, the project in December 2023 was awarded a $600 million grant from the National Infrastructure Project Assistance program, also known as the Mega Grant program. The program was designed to set aside federal funding for complex projects that are likely to boost the economy.

In July 2024, the US Department of Transportation announced that the Interstate Bridge replacement project would also receive roughly $1.5 billion in funding from the Federal Highway Administration's Bridge Investment Program.

"Under the Trump administration, 'infrastructure week' was just a punchline, but President Biden turned it into a historic legacy of investing in America and American workers in states across the country," Democratic National Committee deputy communications director Abhi Rahman told Business Insider in a statement.

Biden during his term in office has placed a major emphasis on strengthening the US' hand regarding advanced chip manufacturing.

And in November 2024, his administration finalized $6.6 billion in funding for the Arizona subsidiary of the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). The award will fund the construction of three factories in Phoenix.

Biden in November said the projects would create thousands of jobs, calling it the "largest foreign direct investment in a greenfield project in the history of the United States."

The investment is significant as it comes before Trump — who in the past has criticized the CHIPS Act — is set to return to office in January.

The Georgia-based bus manufacturer Blue Bird in July 2024 was awarded $80 million from the US Department of Energy to bolster its production of electric school buses.

Blue Bird received the funding as part of the Biden administration's $1.7 billion investment to transform shuttered or at-risk auto manufacturing plants into facilities that can produce electric and hybrid vehicles. The dedicated funding was part of the Biden-backed Inflation Reduction Act, which the president signed into law in 2022.

Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia in a statement said that the investment is slated to bring 428 manufacturing jobs and 250 construction jobs to Fort Valley.

"This is about converting fleets of diesel-powered school buses into clean energy vehicles for the future," the senator said.