Collins, Poliquin announce federal grant funding for replacement of Maine’s Beals Island Bridge

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin (R-ME) announced on Tuesday that a $10.525 million federal grant has been awarded to replace the Beals Island Bridge in Jonesport, Maine.

Collins, the chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD), said that Maine will receive $10.525 million toward the bridge replacement through the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant program.

“The Beals Island Bridge is the only crossing that connects the island and town of Beals with the mainland at Jonesport,” Collins said. “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.”

The TIGER program was established in 2009 to direct federal assistance toward critical infrastructure projects at the state level. Collins has secured more than $112 million through the TIGER program since its inception.

“One of my highest priorities as Chairman of the Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee has been to improve our nation’s infrastructure,” Collins said. “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. 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.”

The TIGER program has provided approximately $4.6 billion overall to help fund 134 projects in all 50 states since 2009.

“As the only bridge connecting Beals Island to our state’s mainland, this is a uniquely important crossing for the Mainers and the local businesses in the region that depend on it,” Poliquin said. “This grant is extraordinarily helpful for this important project, which will also help create jobs in the area.”