US DOT announces $2.1 billion funding for four large bridge projects

Wednesday, 04 January 2023 21:55:41 (GMT+3)   |   San Diego
       

The US Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) today announced the first round of Large Bridge Project Grants from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s competitive Bridge Investment Program.

In a press release, the DOT said these grants will fund construction for four projects, which connect communities in five states and are vital to the everyday lives of working people and freight travel that supports our national economy. Improvements to these bridges will address significant safety issues for drivers and delays in the movement of freight that currently raise costs for American families. The grants are part of historic investments made possible by the Biden-Harris Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The First Large Bridge Project Grants, awarded in Fiscal Year 2022 are as follows:

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet will receive $1.385 billion to rehabilitate and reconfigure the existing Brent Spence Bridge to improve interstate and local traffic flow between the interconnected Kentucky and Ohio communities on either side of the Ohio River. The current bridge is the second worst truck bottleneck in the nation and carries more than $400 billion in freight per year.

The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District in California will receive $400 million to replace, retrofit and install critical structural elements on the Golden Gate Bridge to increase resiliency against earthquakes. The Golden Gate Bridge is vital to an estimated 37 million vehicles crossing the bridge per year, including 555,000 freight trucks, as well as waterborne commerce through the Golden Gate Strait connected to the Port of Oakland.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation will receive $158 million to rehabilitate the northbound structure of the Gold Star Memorial Bridge, which is part of the Interstate 95 corridor over the Thames River between New London and Groton, Connecticut. The bridge carries five lanes of traffic and 42,600 vehicles per day and is a vital connection on the I-95 corridor for people and goods traveling between New York and New England.

The City of Chicago, Illinois, will receive $144 million to rehabilitate four bridges over the Calumet River on the Southside of Chicago. The Calumet River connects Lake Michigan with the Lake Calumet Port District which is further connected to the Illinois River providing access to the Gulf of Mexico. Each bridge lifts an average of 5,000 times per year, providing continuous and safe access for marine traffic to and from the Port and surrounding industry.

In addition to the four FY22 Large Bridge Project Grants, FHWA also announced an additional Bridge Planning grant to the US Army Corps of Engineers in the amount of $1.6 million to advance critical planning work in support of replacement of the Bourne and Sagamore Bridges over the Cape Cod Canal. The project will improve the flow of roadway traffic between Cape Code and mainland Massachusetts.


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