Rhode Island to receive $125 million from Mega Grant for Washington Bridge
EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Rhode Island will receive a $125,390,467 Mega Grant toward replacing the westbound side of the Washington Bridge.
The announcement of the funds came in a statement from the office of Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed on behalf of the Rhode Island Coalition of Reed, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and U.S. Representatives Seth Magaziner and Gabe Amo.
“This grant is a mega-win for Rhode Island and a major down payment on replacing the Washington Bridge,” said Senator Reed.
“We are incredibly grateful to President Biden and Secretary Pete Buttigieg for their responsiveness to our calls for assistance. Their leadership has made a difference for Rhode Island and for strengthening our nation’s transportation infrastructure as a whole.”
We just received $125.4M from @USDOT to help build a brand new Washington Bridge.
We’re grateful to @POTUS, @SecretaryPete and our top-notch Congressional Delegation for supporting this important investment in Rhode Island’s infrastructure. pic.twitter.com/KLZkEAbMY6
— Governor Dan McKee (@GovDanMcKee) September 20, 2024
The Mega Grant program is also known as the National Infrastructure Project Assistance program, part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021.
The current estimate for the cost of the bridge’s demolition and replacement stands at $58.2 million and $368.3 million, respectively.
“This is a huge win for Rhode Island in a highly competitive grant cycle,” said Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee.
“Only $850 million in federal funds was available nationwide for projects our size, and we were awarded $125 million.”
