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President Biden’s administration announced on Wednesday that it will allocate $5 billion in federal grants to upgrade or replace numerous aging bridges across 16 states, utilizing funds from a significant infrastructure bill. Among the key projects is a substantial $1.4 billion earmarked for the replacement of two vertical lift bridges on Interstate 5, which connect Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington. This project, which previously received $800 million, aims to alleviate significant traffic congestion identified as the region’s prime bottleneck, according to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Additional significant projects include enhancements to the Sagamore Bridge in Cape Cod, Massachusetts; an Interstate 10 bridge in Mobile, Alabama; and the Interstate 83 South bridge in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, which Buttigieg visited to emphasize the impact of these initiatives.
“These bridge projects are critical, impacting regional and national economies, and requiring urgent substantial investments to ensure safety and the smooth running of supply chains,” Buttigieg stated.
These grants are part of the $1.2 trillion infrastructure law signed by Biden in 2021, which directs $40 billion over five years towards bridge repairs—the most significant investment in decades. This initiative is a cornerstone of Biden’s reelection campaign, contrasting his efforts with those of former President Donald Trump.
However, despite these hefty grants, the American Road & Transportation Builders Association estimates that about $319 billion is still required to address bridge repairs nationwide. Currently, about 42,400 bridges are considered to be in poor condition, supporting around 167 million daily vehicle crossings. Many of these bridges, averaging 70 years old, have structural deficiencies that have persisted over the years.
The announcement follows recent infrastructure failures, such as the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland after a ship collision, which underscore the critical nature of timely bridge repairs.
Other projects receiving federal support include improvements to multiple bridges in Providence, Rhode Island, and the replacement of nearly century-old bridges in Miami-Dade County, Florida, alongside several other bridge projects across the country aimed at enhancing safety and infrastructure reliability.