Senator Collins Announces $10.525 Million to Replace Beals Island Bridge

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senator Susan Collins, the Chairman of the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations Subcommittee, announced this morning that the U.S. Department of Transportation will award $10,525,000 in federal funding toward the replacement of the Beals Island Bridge in Jonesport, Maine.  The funding is awarded from the successful Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant program.

The U.S. Department of Transportation contacted Senator Collins this morning to notify her of the grant award.

"I am delighted to announce that the State of Maine will receive a $10,525,000 investment to help replace the structurally deficient Beals Island Bridge in Jonesport through the TIGER grant program.  The Beals Island Bridge is the only crossing that connects the island and town of Beals with the mainland at Jonesport.  This important funding will allow the Maine Department of Transportation to move forward in replacing the bridge, improving public safety, increasing connectivity between the island and the mainland, and helping to create jobs in rural Maine,” said Senator Collins.  

"The replacement of the Beals Island Bridge is an important step as we continue to maintain a solid, well-built infrastructure throughout our state," said MaineDOT Commissioner David Bernhardt. "Our many thanks to Senator Susan Collins for, once again, helping to deliver critical funding that allows for economic opportunity and helping to ensure safe travel for residents, tourists and business alike."

The TIGER program was established in 2009 to provide federal assistance for vital transportation projects.  Since its inception, Senator Collins has worked each year to ensure that the program has been funded.  Prior to today's announcement, Senator Collins has been able to successfully secure more than $112 million through the TIGER program for key projects throughout the State of Maine, including the replacements of bridges in Kittery, Dresden-Richmond, and Rumford, and the breakwater in Eastport as well as substantial investments in Maine’s ports in Portland, Searsport, and Eastport and in rail projects. With the addition of today’s announcement, Maine will have received more than $122 million for highway, bridge, port, and rail projects through the TIGER program.

“One of my highest priorities as Chairman of the Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee has been to improve our nation’s infrastructure. Safe and efficient roads, bridges, and ports are critically important links to the flow of commerce and key catalysts for jobs and economic growth in Maine and across our country,” Senator Collins continued. “The TIGER grant program has made a significant difference in our state, providing funding for vital projects across Maine that might otherwise never have been built. For this reason, I have worked hard to make sure that the program has been funded every year since it was first established and have strongly advocated for the projects submitted by the Maine Department of Transportation.”