Massachusetts Is Getting Over $1 Billion To Improve Highway Bridges In Poor And Fair Condition
BOSTON (CBS) -- More than $1 billion in federal funding will flow into Massachusetts over the next five years to upgrade thousands of highway bridges across the state that are in need of improvements.
The money is coming from the infrastructure package that President Joe Biden signed into law in November. The state is getting $1.12 billion that will be used to improve 455 bridges in "poor" condition and 3,465 bridges in "fair" condition.
Nationwide, over $27 billion will be used to fix about 15,000 bridges across the country.
Deputy Federal Highway Administrator and former Massachusetts Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack said this is a record amount of funding to fix bridges.
Today, @USDOT and FHWA are announcing the largest bridge investment since the construction of the Interstate highway system, dedicating $27.5 billion to improve bridges that need repair, rehabilitation, and reconstruction. https://t.co/rsWLOOrmeA #BuildBackBridges pic.twitter.com/xsIgaP4rEp
— Federal Highway Admn (@USDOTFHWA) January 14, 2022
"It will also modernize bridges to withstand the effects of climate change and to make them safer for all users, including cyclists and pedestrians," she said in a statement. "Every state has bridges in poor condition and in need of repair, including bridges with weight restrictions that may force lengthy detours for travelers, school buses, first responders or trucks carrying freight."
Click here for a map of bridges in the program.