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The bridge failed twice in two weeks this year, delaying Metro-North and Amtrak trains along the Northeast corridor and prompting officials to call for its replacement.
The Department of Transportation began designs for the replacement bridge in July and expect to be completed with that work in 2016. It hopes to select a contractor by the end of 2016 and begin construction on the bridge in 2017, with a completion goal of 2020.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy worked with state and federal officials to secure $161 million in Sandy relief funds, which will be combined with existing state funds to account for $277 million of the $465 million required for the project. Funding will also come from the Federal Transit Administration in the amount of $146 million from 2016-18, with the state matching $36.5 million over three years. An additional $68 million in state bonds over three years will complete funding for the project, Malloy said Thursday.
"We fought very hard, made trips, had discussions, had trips made to us to make sure we could secure a good portion of the monies necessary to replace that bridge," Malloy said. "When it is done this project will be funded with 34 percent state funds and 66 percent federal funds, and of that I am proud."
"It has been a fight. This money has not come easily. There is a vehement, voracious demand for money for transportation, and we have put Connecticut at the forefront," said U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal. "This bridge will be an icon, not for its malfunction, but for its rebuilding, and that will put Connecticut on the map in transportation in a way that looks forward, not backward."
"The reason that there is a big federal grant coming to fix this bridge is because Washington is convinced for the first time in over a decade that Connecticut is serious about putting money into transportation," U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy said. "Connecticut now is dramatically increasing its share of transportation funding, it is winning more transportation grants from Washington because of that investment."
"Not only is it an issue for Connecticut, it's an issue for the entire northeast corridor," said state Sen. Bob Duff.
Commuters in his district are happy with the funding for the new bridge. "They want to be able to get form Point A to Point B, and know that they can get there and know that they can there on time. And through the construction of this new bridge, that's going to be able to happen a lot easier."
"It's taken decades for this bridge to be neglected to get in the state its in, and its going to take many years of planning and construction for it to be replaced. So this is the beginning of a process that's going to last perhaps up to a decade, and I think commuters have to manage their expectations," said commuter advocate Jim Cameron. He praised the DOT and the governor for working to secure the funds.
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