Vice President Kamala Harris visited Chicago on Wednesday to highlight the effects of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which includes a $144 million grant to help with rehabilitation efforts on four bridges along the Calumet River.
Harris’ visit to Illinois came as President Joe Biden visited the Brent Spence Bridge in Kentucky and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg traveled to Connecticut to visit the Gold Star Memorial Bridge, all part of a united effort to highlight bipartisanship and the IIJA.
“After two years in office, I can say with confidence, we are building that better future,” Harris said in Chicago. “We are building an economy, as President Biden often puts it, from the bottom up and the middle out. And I’ll add from the outside in.”
The grant of $144 million through the IIJA will rehabilitate the 92nd Street, 95th Street, 100th Street and 106th Street bridges along the Calumet River.
Harris said the 95th Street Bridge, built in 1958, hasn’t had major repairs in decades, which causes detours and delays, raising delivery costs, and disrupting supply chains, all of which trickle down to families, small businesses, and workers.
“The consequences of infrastructure underinvestment have been a familiar story in cities and states across our nation,” Harris said. “About 43,000 bridges, almost 1 in 10, show signs of severe distress in our country. And you know, for years people talked about this problem, but now I am proud to say, we will finally fix this problem.”
“Rehabilitating these bridges will undoubtedly reap massive, local, regional and national benefits, as well as reinforce our city’s many competitive advantages, including our centrality, proximity to critical resources like fresh water, and of course, an unmatched talent pool,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said at the event. “And did I mention? This means, jobs, jobs, jobs.”
Senator Dick Durbin, and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle also attended the event.
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Source: WBEZ.org
