LOWELL – Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03), Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Edward J. Markey (D-MA), and Lowell City Manager Tom Golden announced the City of Lowell is receiving $21,400,000 in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to support four bridge rehabilitation and preservation projects across the city.
“I voted for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law because families here in Lowell and across Massachusetts deserve to know the bridges they drive on or walk across are safe,” said Congresswoman Trahan. “Communities across the Commonwealth and the country competed for these funds, and I couldn’t be prouder that Lowell won such a significant federal investment. It’s a testament to City Manager Golden and his team who made a strong case for these bridge projects, which will improve life for every Lowell resident and strengthen the Mill City.”
“Securing Lowell’s bridges with this multimillion dollar federal investment will be felt for generations to come. Alongside Representative Trahan and Senator Markey, I fought hard to pass a much-needed infrastructure law to invest in Massachusetts communities like Lowell,” said Senator Warren.
“Lowell’s bridges are inseparable from the city’s identity and economy,” said Senator Markey. “Ensuring the safety and efficiency of these bridges for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians alike is a perfect example of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law at work for the people of Massachusetts. I am proud that this federal funding is coming to the Mill City, and I am grateful to Secretary Buttigieg, Senator Warren, Congresswoman Trahan, City Manager Golden, and Mayor Chau for their partnership in making it possible.”
“An infusion of funds of this magnitude creates an incredible opportunity for the City of Lowell to rehabilitate and preserve the four bridges in need of repair. Lowell is a city of canals—the bridge repairs will provide safe access for residents, improve quality of life in neighborhoods and make our infrastructure that much more secure,” said City Manager Golden. “We are thrilled to receive this funding and would like to thank Congresswoman Trahan, Senator Warren and Senator Ed Markey for their hard work and dedication to Lowell.”
Lowell is receiving $21.4 million in funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant program to fund final design, permitting, construction management, and construction activities for the rehabilitation or preservation of four bridges:
Broadway Street Bridge over the West Canal
Market Street Bridge over the Merrimack Canal
Lawrence Street Bridge over the River Meadow Brook
Swamp Locks Pedestrian Bridge over the Lower Pawtucket Canal
The grant is the largest of any RAISE award in Massachusetts and ranks among the top 50 largest allocations in the nation this year. Following the city’s application earlier this year, Trahan wrote a letter of support to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Trahan, Warren, and Markey supported passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2021. Massachusetts is slated to receive at least $9.5 billion in funding through the package between 2022-2027, including a minimum of $1.1 billion in funding for bridge replacements and repairs. As of April 2023, $3.7 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding had been announced to support more than 111 projects across the Commonwealth.
Shortly after passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Trahan joined then-Governor Charlie Baker to announce that $170 million in federal funding from the package would be used to finally replace the Rourke Bridge in Lowell. Earlier this year, Trahan was appointed to the Regional Leadership Council, a 13-member task force designed to work with senior Biden-Harris administration officials to ensure the successful implementation of key pieces of legislation passed over the past two years, including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
