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A look inside the West Seattle bridge repair process
Construction crews will return to the bridge later this year to begin the final phase of repairs. The remaining project has a price tag of nearly $55 million, with 70 percent of it being funded with federal dollars.
OLYMPIA, Wash. - The Transportation Department is launching a $27 billion program to repair and upgrade roughly 15,000 highway bridges as part of the infrastructure law approved in November.
Washington state will be receiving $121 million in new bridge funding this fiscal year as part of the more than $605 million in funding that the state will get over the next five years.
"As a West Seattle resident, I know how important it is to our neighbors, businesses, cities, ports, and economy that we quickly and safely repair bridges across our region. That is why I fought to secure the largest bridge funding since the mid-1900s as part of the infrastructure package that we passed last year," said Congresswoman Pramilla Jayapal.
There are currently 416 bridges in Washington state that are in poor condition.
RELATED: West Seattle Bridge expected to reopen mid-2022, as final phase of repairs begins Monday
"With more than $605 million in bridge funding for our state over the next five years, this popular legislation is delivering on our promise to provide a historic, deeply necessary, and long overdue investment in Washington's bridges, roads, waterways, and public transit systems that will directly impact our communities while creating millions of good paying, union jobs. There is still more work to be done to invest in families, and I will continue fighting for them while ensuring that this new funding quickly reaches projects throughout Washington," Jayapal said.
RELATED: Biden touts bridge repair program in speech on infrastructure
The White House issued a fact sheet in advance of Biden’s remarks that details how the administration is preparing to distribute infrastructure funds. There are plans to build out 500,000 charging stations for electric vehicles. The Transportation Department has announced the distribution of roughly $56 billion to improve highways, airports and shipping ports.
The Environmental Protection Agency has announced plans to disburse $7.4 billion to upgrade water and sewer systems. Steps are also being taken to build out broadband internet, among other initiatives.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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