Tuesday marked one year since the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was signed into law by President Joe Biden.

West Virginians should recall that both Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., played pivotal roles in negotiating the deal, which ultimately will bring $6 billion to the Mountain State to boost an array of projects.

In the House, Rep. David McKinley, R-W.Va., was one of the brave Republicans who chose to support the legislation because of its positive aspects in delivering real improvements to the people whom the lawmakers represent.

Already, $1.9 billion has been directed to the state, targeting 90 specific projects including roadways, bridges, water and sewer projects and broadband expansion.

West Virginia is set to receive more than $1.5 billion for transportation to invest in roads, bridges, public transit, ports and airports, and over $83 million for clean water.

Examples of the funding already allocated include:

— $15 million for the North Central West Virginia Airport terminal project, which will help in building a new 45,000-square-foot terminal.

— $37 million for the Appalachian Development Highway System in Fiscal Year 2022 and a 146% increase in annual road funding as a result of the bipartisan infrastructure law. This investment will enhance road safety, bolster connectivity and improve access to economic opportunity for all West Virginians.

“Over the next decade, West Virginia will continue to see billions of dollars invested in our great state to help spur economic growth and support the needs of our communities,” Manchin said. “This is a once-in-a-generation investment into our infrastructure needs across the country, and I’m proud see these funds put to work across the Mountain State.”

Capito, who was instrumental in the initial dialogue during the negotiations and then again as ranking member of Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, said the effort to implement the law must continue because it is a “historic opportunity to modernize our nation’s core infrastructure and improve the lives of working Americans.”

“I’m proud of the work our committee did in negotiating, writing and passing the cornerstones of the IIJA, which were the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act and the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act,” she said.

We applaud both senators’ efforts, as well as that of McKinley, who at the time said he was putting people before politics.

“Tonight, instead of playing politics, I put America and West Virginia first,” McKinley said. “America’s infrastructure has been in dire need of modernization, and this bipartisan infrastructure bill is what community leaders from one panhandle to the other have expressed that West Virginia needs to restore our aging infrastructure.”

Some believe McKinley’s support of the bipartisan measure led to his loss to Rep. Alex Mooney after the state lost a U.S. House seat, and the two incumbents had to run against each other in the GOP primary.

If that’s true, it’s unfortunate, because McKinley’s vote, as well as Manchin’s and Capito’s, was right for West Virginia.

A year later, we’re just beginning to see how, and we look forward to the continued improvement of key infrastructure.