The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced Friday it provided a $200 million in low-interest loan to the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA0 for the Gov. Harry W. Nice Memorial/Sen. Thomas “Mac” Middletown Bridge Replacement Project.
Funded through the Build America Bureau, the money in Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loans is part of a program designed to help communities across the country reduce infrastructure project costs. In Maryland’s case, the money will help the state with the $672 million project to replace the 83-year-old bridge carrying US 301 traffic over the Potomac River between Maryland and Virginia.
“The new Nice Bridge will address the four-mile-long daily backups and enhance roadway safety by creating a median barrier and wider lanes,” said Deputy Transportation Secretary Polly Trottenberg. “With 18,000 vehicles a day crossing, many of which are commuters headed to large employers like Naval Support Facility Dahlgren and Naval Support Facility Indian Head, this is a critical safety and quality of life improvement for the region.”
The project will double the number of lanes on the bridge from two to four. It will ensure a higher vertical clearance over the navigable waterway, which will allow taller vessels to pass under the bridge.
“This loan helps deliver a long-awaited new bridge that will last at least 100 years,” said Bureau Executive Director Morteza Farajian. “By financing a third of the costs, we are helping bring this project to fruition sooner and at less cost to taxpayers, improving connectivity between local communities in Maryland and Virginia.”