$5 billion in grants will go to 16 states for improvement of aging bridges

Bridges in 16 states will soon see improvements or be replaced after $5 billion in grants was announced on Wednesday. 

The Biden administration announced the states and bridges awarded the grant money on Wednesday, July 17th, reported The Telegraph.

Notable recipients of the grant money include:

• $251 million for 15 bridges around Providence, Rhode Island
• $101 million for 11 Venetian Causeway bridges across Miami-Dade County in Florida 
•  $1.4 billion for two Interstate 5 vertical lift bridges over the Columbia River between Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington
• $500 million or more for the Sagamore Bridge in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, the Interstate 10 bridge in Mobile, Alabama, and the Interstate 83 South bridge in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Other bridges that will see repairs thanks to the project include: 

• Interstate 55 bridge over the Mississippi River between Arkansas and Tennessee
• Cape Fear Memorial Bridge in Wilmington, North Carolina
• Four Interstate 95 bridges over Lake Marion in South Carolina
•  U.S. 70 bridge over Lake Texoma in Oklahoma
• Two Interstate 25 bridges over Nogal Canyon in New Mexico
• 18th Street bridge in Kansas City, Kansas
• Market Street bridge over the Ohio River between Steubenville, Ohio, and East Steubenville, West Virginia

The new bridges will be built to withstand earthquakes, and will feature lanes for vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians. 

“These bridges affect whole regions and ultimately impact the entire U.S. economy,” Buttigieg said of the project. “Their condition means they need major urgent investment to help keep people safe and to keep our supply chains running smoothly.”