Vice President Kamala Harris visited Chicago Wednesday to join Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) among other officials in announcing the new Bridge Investment Program's $144 million grant to rehabilitate four historic city bridges.
The bridges targeted for major rehabilitation run over the Calumet River and are considered vital not only for the city but for the nation due to their connection to the Illinois International Port.
The celebrated grant is part of President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that allows for rebuilding roads, bridges and rails as well as expanding access to clean drinking water and more throughout the country.
“It is my honor for Chicago to be one of the first grant recipients of the new Bridge Investment Program’s Large Bridge Project Grants,” Lightfoot said in a news release from the city. “These bridges are an important part of our city’s history, and they must be modernized to ensure they can meet the demands of the future."
Lightfoot went on to show her appreciation for this funding to repair the Illinois International Port Calumet River Bridges.
"Thank you to the Biden-Harris Administration and the federal delegation for helping to make this project a reality through grant funding and for creating the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that makes developments like these possible across the country," she said.
The four historic bridges to be rehabilitated through this funding are: the 92nd Street/Ewing Avenue Bridge, the 95th Street Bridge, the 100th Street Bridge and the 106th Street Bridge.
“The benefits of rehabbing the four aging Calumet Bridges are wide-ranging for the entire region and surrounding areas,” Durbin said in the city release. “These bridges connect our communities, get residents where they need to go and keep cargo moving through the Illinois International Port.”
In order to provide continuous and secure access for marine traffic to and from the port and other industrial users, each bridge raises an average of 5,000 times annually. More than 40,000 vehicles pass over the bridges each day on average.