Northern Colorado leaders were quick out of the gate Monday afternoon after Gov. Jared Polis and other state politicos joined President Joe Biden in Washington to sign the $1 trillion infrastructure package.

Colorado could receive as much as $3.7 billion, plus $225 million for bridge replacement and repairs over five years. The package also includes $916 million to boost public transportation options across the state and $57 million to expand the network of charging stations for electric vehicles.

Airports in Colorado are expected to receive about $432 million.

“This new bipartisan federal law will complement Colorado’s own new infrastructure law and will help create jobs, fix our roads, bridges, protect our water, expand broadband and address the climate issues we face,” Gov. Jared Polis, who attended the Whiter House ceremony Monday, said in a statement. “I was honored to join President Biden, Republican and Democratic governors from across our country today, because no matter your political affiliation, we all want to fix our roads, reduce traffic and improve our quality of life.

“I’m glad both parties and Congress were finally able to come together to support a once-in-a-generation investment to fix and rebuild our country’s infrastructure. The biggest winners of this deal are Coloradans and Americans.”

Learn more about what’s included in the package by clicking here.

Republicans who are opposed to the bill characterized it as pork barrel politics, though President Trump promised to put $2 trillion into the nation’s infrastructure during his first term. The package never materialized. Trump walked out of a meeting with Democratic leaders in 2019, saying he would not negotiate an infrastructure package while they continue to investigate his administration.

The Northern Colorado Legislative Alliance, made up of chambers of commerce and other economic developers, wants at least $660 million to finish the express-lane expansion on Interstate 25 north of Denver. The Colorado Transportation Commission will set the priorities on state roads and bridges, including interstates.

“We urge the Colorado Transportation Commission to prioritize the one-time federal funds for our state’s federal interstate system,” Ann Hutchison, president and CEO of the Fort Collins Chamber and the “convener” of the Fix North I-25 Business Alliance, said in a statement Monday afternoon.

Weld County Commissioner Scott James, chair of the North I-25 Coalition, called the stretch the backbone of the region.

“It is the intrastate connect between the north, south, east and west of Colorado,” he said. “And, critically, it is the interstate connect to the rest of the country. Left unfunded, the resulting flow of traffic will be impeded, safety will be compromised and air quality will be impacted from heightened emissions from congestion.”

James also chairs the Upper Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization and sits on the State Transportation Advisory Council.

Sandra Hagen Solin, who represents the Northern Colorado Legislative Alliance at the state Capitol, called North I-25 the “spine of Colorado’s Front Range,” including as a freight corridor and a “critical national defense asset.”

“We strongly urge the Colorado Transportation Commission and the Colorado Department of Transportation to direct the additional Colorado allocation of federal funds to the interstate system including fully funding and completing the critical expansion of the federally overseen interstate roadway, the North I-25 Express Lanes Project,” she said.

U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse, a Democrat from Lafayette, touted his work to include upgrades to the power grid in the bill.

He worked on the $5 billion program with Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon.

“Coloradans are no stranger to extreme weather, whether the devastating wildfires we experienced last year, intense flooding or heavy winter storms,” Neguse said after Monday’s bill signing. “It’s time we make a significant investment in making our power grid more resilient to extreme weather events and properly equip American families and communities.

“We’re thrilled to see our vision for a disaster safe power grid delivered on through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This historic investment will ensure families in Northern Colorado are protected from power outages in the wake of climate-related weather incidents.”

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock was one of the guests who gathered Monday at the White House’s South Lawn Monday.

“This infrastructure bill is a phenomenal achievement for President Biden, and to ensure that we really do build back better and create an economy that works for everyone here in Denver and across the country, we need to leverage this generational investment,” Hancock stated afterward. “Infrastructure creates jobs, supports communities and grows the middle class, and the time is now to seize this opportunity to put our economic recovery into overdrive.”