US President Joe Biden on Saturday hailed the passage of his ambitious $1 trillion infrastructure plan by the House of Representatives as a “monumental step forward for the nation”.

“I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to suggest that we took a monumental step forward as a nation,” Biden said on Saturday at the White House, accompanied by vice-president Kamala Harris. “We did something long overdue, that has long been talked about in Washington, but never actually done.”

Under the infrastructure bill, the US will spend approximately $1.2 trillion over the next 10 years to replace all lead water supply pipes in the country; extend high-speed internet network; rebuild and repair roads and bridges; modernise the public transport system, passenger rail, and airports; build a network of charging stations for electric cars; upgrade the power infrastructure and secure the infrastructure against cyberattacks and climate change.

“For all you at home who feel left behind and forgotten in an economy that’s changing so rapidly — this bill is for you,” Biden further said on Saturday. “The vast majority of the thousands of jobs that will be created do not require a college degree.”

“This is a blue collar blueprint to rebuild America, and it’s long overdue,” he added.

Biden went on to say that the legislation includes the most signifiant investment in roads and bridges in 70 years and in passenger rails in 50 years. The $1.2 trillion bill — $550 billion of which is new spending — will be signed by Biden “soon” at a ceremony to be attended by those who were critical to its writing and passage, such as Democratic Senator Krysten Sinema and Republican Senator Rob Portman.

The infrastructure bill passed in a 228-206 vote in the Democratic-led House of Representatives late on Friday night, with the support of 10 Republicans. Though proposed by Biden,the measure had passed in the Senate in August with bipartisan support. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell had supported it in the upper chamber to the consternation of former president Donald Trump, who expressed criticisms publicly .

But the bill had been delayed in the House of Representatives after progressive Democrats withheld their backing in an effort to bargain for another legislative measure by Biden, the Build Back Better bill, which proposes $1.7 trillion on expanding social safety and security — such as healthcare and paid maternity leave — and climate change.

The need for an overhaul of the country’s infrastructure had long been on the agenda of many former US presidents, including Barack Obama and Trump. In fact, “infrastructure week” had become something of a running joke under Trump as the administration never ever presented a plan despite the then president’s repeated promises.

The infrastructure bill passed in the aftermath of a stinging defeat suffered by Democrats in elections in Virginia last week, when Republicans won the top three statewide posts including the governor.