The U.S. Department of Transportation is set to steer $200 million to the Maryland Transportation Authority for the Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial/Senator Thomas “Mac” Middleton Bridge Replacement Project.
The new $672 million bridge is slated to replace roadways that were first built more than eight decades ago, with plans calling for the new structure to allow twice as many vehicles to cross the river at any given moment, paving the way for traffic to run much smoother and for more vehicles to cross the bridge, according to an April 29 DOT news release.
“The new Nice Bridge will address the four-mile-long daily backups and enhance roadway safety by creating a median barrier and wider lanes,” Deputy Transportation Secretary Polly Trottenberg said in the news release. “With 18,000 vehicles a day crossing, many of which are commuters headed to large employers like Naval Support Facility Dahlgren and Naval Support Facility Indian Head, this is a critical safety and quality of life improvement for the region.”
According to the Maryland Transportation Authority, the project is intended to replace a bridge which was built in 1940 and make the new bridge wider and safer in order to allow traffic to flow quicker and safer across the bridge.
“This loan helps deliver a long-awaited new bridge that will last at least 100 years,” Build America Bureau Executive Director Morteza Farajian said in the release. “By financing a third of the costs, we are helping bring this project to fruition sooner and at less cost to taxpayers, improving connectivity between local communities in Maryland and Virginia.”
According to the news release, the Bureau was established during the Obama administration to help states and other project sponsors carry out infrastructure projects. In November of 2021, President Joe Biden signed off on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that expands project eligibility for the Bureau’s Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act credit program and extends maturity of the loans, giving borrowers greater flexibility.
