Dozens of aging bridges in 16 states are set to be replaced or improved with the help of $5 billion in federal grants announced Wednesday by President Joe Biden’s administration, the latest recipients of a massive infrastructure bill.
The projects range from coast to coast, with the largest providing an additional $1.4 billion to help replace two vertical bridges over the Columbia River that carry traffic on Interstate 5 between Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington. The bridges, which were also built He got $600 million. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said U.S. trucking traffic experienced the “worst traffic congestion” in the region in December.
The new bridges will be earthquake-resistant and multi-modal, providing space for vehicles, pedestrians, bicycles and public transport.
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek called the federal funding “great news” that will help the economy while also advancing “carbon reduction and climate change mitigation goals.”
Other projects receiving $500 million or more include the Sagamore Bridge. In Cape Cod, MassachusettsThe Interstate 10 bridge project in Mobile, Alabama; and the Interstate 83 South Bridge in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, which Buttigieg highlighted with a visit on Wednesday.
“These bridges impact entire regions and ultimately the entire American economy,” Buttigieg said. “Their condition means they need major, urgent investment to help keep people safe and our supply chains running smoothly.”
The grants come from a $1.2 trillion fund. Infrastructure Law Biden’s infrastructure bill, signed into law in 2021, allocated $40 billion for bridges over five years — the largest investment in bridges in decades. Biden had been touting the infrastructure bill during his reelection campaign against former President Donald Trump.
But even the large grants awarded Wednesday would be only a fraction of what the American Road and Transportation Builders Association estimates is $319 billion in bridge repairs needed across the United States.
There are about 42,400 bridges in poor condition nationwide, yet they carry about 167 million vehicles every day, according to the federal government. Four-fifths of these bridges are in trouble. With the basic structures that carry them or the superstructures that support their load. More than 15,800 of the poor bridges were listed in poor condition a decade ago, according to Associated Press Analysis.
The average age of poor bridges in the country is 70 years.
Bridges play a vital role that is often overlooked until their closure disrupts people’s commutes and delays commerce. This was tragically highlighted in March when a cargo ship struck a support column on the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland, causing the bridge to cave in and collapse. Six road workers killedMaryland officials said it could take four years and cost up to $1.9 billion. rebuild the bridge.
Some of the projects announced Wednesday include several bridges, such as a $251 million grant to improve 15 bridges around Providence, Rhode Island. That project is separate from another project to replace the Washington Bridge on Interstate 195 over the Seekonk River, which was built in 2008. suddenly closed The road was closed to traffic late last year due to structural problems.
In Florida, Miami-Dade County will receive $101 million to replace 11 of the nearly century-old Venice Causeway bridges.
Other bridge projects receiving funding include: Interstate 55 Bridge Over Mississippi River Connecting Arkansas and Tennessee; the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge in Wilmington, North Carolina; four bridges carrying Interstate 95 over Lake Marion in South Carolina; the Interstate 70 Bridge over Lake Texoma in Oklahoma; two bridges carrying Interstate 25 over Nogal Canyon in New Mexico; the 18th Street Bridge in Kansas City, Kansas; and the Market Street Bridge over the Ohio River connecting Steubenville, Ohio, with East Steubenville, West Virginia.
