$1.1B in bridge bucks coming to Bay State
Massachusetts will receive $1.1 billion in federal funding to repair and replace 455 bridges statewide over the next five years, made available through the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
“The Biden-Harris Administration is thrilled to launch this program to fix thousands of bridges across the country – the single largest dedicated bridge investment since the construction of the Interstate highway system,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said. “Modernizing America’s bridges will help improve safety, support economic growth, and make people’s lives better in every part of the country – across rural, suburban, urban, and tribal communities.”
The project, dubbed the Bridge Formula Program, will be administered by the Federal Highway Administration. Nationwide, states and territories will receive a total of $26.5 billion to fix some 15,000 bridges.
“This record amount of funding, made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will allow states and Tribal governments to fix the bridges most in need of repair,” said Deputy Federal Highway Administrator Stephanie Pollack, who previously served as Secretary of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.
Massachusetts will begin receiving federal dollars this year. Bridges highlighted by the project include the Charles River Dam Bridge, which runs next to Boston’s Museum of Science, the North Washington Street Bridge connecting the North End and Charlestown, and the River Street Bridge connecting Boston and Cambridge.
States usually have to match federal funding with up to 20% state or local funding, but through the Bridge Formula Program, federal dollars can be used to fund 100% of the cost of fixing locally owned off-system bridges.