After Years of Advocacy, Rep. Courtney Celebrates Over $826 Million Federal Grant to Rebuild CT River Bridge
NORWICH, CT – Today, Rep. Joe Courtney alongside the Connecticut Congressional delegation and state leaders announced the U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded Amtrak an $826,645,100 grant to support the replacement of the 116-year-old Connecticut River Bridge between Old Saybrook and Old Lyme, Connecticut. The funding will allow Amtrak to build a modern and resilient new moveable bridge immediately south of the existing structure.
The grant comes after Rep. Courtney led years of advocacy to urge the federal government to deliver funding to rebuild the bridge. In addition to the $826 million grant announced today, over the past three years, Rep. Courtney has secured over $130.4 million for this project.
“This long overdue transformational grant for the Connecticut River Bridge comes after a determination in 2006 that the bridge was ‘structurally deficient’ and repair work was no longer capable of keeping it functional,” Courtney stated. “Despite chronic underfunding of Amtrak’s capital accounts, I have worked with my colleagues in the Connecticut delegation since 2007 to secure initial funding of $130.4 million for design and planning of this project.”
“Today’s announcement of an additional $826 million federal grant ensures that the entire construction phase will be fully funded, and not delayed any more by incremental piecemeal grants," Courtney continued. "This development will provide a stable horizon for contractors to acquire materials and workforce and is a testament to the importance of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed in 2021 that provided a historic level of resources to Amtrak. Make no mistake – this monumental investment was only possible because of this law. When this new bridge is finished, rail traffic will be safer and faster for passengers on the Northeast Corridor-Acela Express, Northeast Regional, and Shoreline East, as well as freight traffic. It is a generational investment for the most heavily traveled rail system in America that will pay dividends for decades to come.”
The replacement bridge would maintain the two-track configuration and existing channel location and provide a bascule moveable span with additional vertical clearance for maritime traffic. The bridge serves the Northeast Corridor main line and is used by Amtrak’s intercity services, Connecticut Shoreline East commuter service, and freight operators. The new structure will improve safety, reliability, and increase operating speed for all operators.
Over the Years: Rep. Courtney Leads Works to Rehabilitate Connecticut River Bridge
July 2020: Rep. Courtney sent a Congressional letter urging the Federal Railroad Administration to approve Amtrak’s and Connecticut Department of Transportation’s FY20 request for federal funding through the Federal State Partnership for the State of Good Repair program to support repairs to the Connecticut River Bridge project.
October 2020: After requesting that the Federal Railroad Administration fund this work, Rep. Courtney hosted a press conference with Senator Blumenthal to announce a $62.5 million federal grant through the Federal State Partnership for the State of Good Repair program to replace the Connecticut River Bridge between Old Saybrook and Old Lyme, CT that carries Amtrak and Shoreline East Trains.
June 2021: Rep. Courtney led a Congressional letter in support of a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) for construction on the CT River Bridge. As Courtney said, “a PLA can bring the benefit of a highly skilled, reliable workforce, with predictable wage rates and uniform training. It also fosters high quality job training and apprenticeships for young workers which is key to solving the “skills gap” challenge our nation faces.”
June 2021: Amtrak responded to Rep. Courtney’s letter and confirmed that they will be using a PLA for work on the Connecticut River Bridge project.
February 2022: After the passage of the federal infrastructure law, Rep. Courtney led a Congressional letter to the Federal Railroad Administration, Amtrak, the Northeast Corridor Commission, and the Connecticut Department of Transportation urging them to prioritize repairs to the Connecticut River Bridge as they review funding requests for the federal infrastructure law. In the letter, Rep. Courtney requests that the Connecticut River Bridge be included as a priority project.
March 2022: Rep. Courtney sent a Congressional letter to urge the Department of Transportation to approve Amtrak’s and Connecticut Department of Transportation’s FY21 request for additional funding through the Federal State Partnership for the State of Good Repair program.
August 2022: Rep. Courtney announced that Amtrak and Connecticut Department of Transportation had been awarded the requested $65.2 million grant from the federal infrastructure law to support the replacement of the existing Amtrak-owned Connecticut River Bridge between Old Saybrook and Old Lyme and support upgrades on the New Haven Line.
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