WESTERLY, RI - In effort to improve the safety of Westerly's West Street Bridge for pedestrians, motorists, and train traffic, U.S. Senator Jack Reed today joined Westerly Town Manager Joseph Turo and Rhode Island Senate Minority Leader Dennis Algiere to announce $1.6 million in federal funding Reed secured in the highway corrections bill to repair the bridge. This federal funding will help supplement state funding to upgrade the bridge.

The bridge, which has been designated a historic structure by the Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission, is 75 years old and spans the Amtrak train tracks. In 1999, structural concerns caused the town of Westerly to ban cars from using the bridge and allowed only pedestrians to use it. In 2003 it also had to be closed to pedestrians. Earlier this year, thousands of local residents signed a petition asking town officials to reopen the bridge.

In March 2007, Senator Reed sent a letter to the Committee on Environment and Public Works requesting that the federal funding for the West Street Bridge be included in the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). Reed voted for the funding when Congress passed the bill in May of 2008.

"I am pleased to have secured $1.6 million in the SAFETEA-LU Technical Corrections Act to repair Westerly's historic West Street bridge," said Reed, who serves on the Appropriations Committee and the Banking Committee's subcommittee on transportation, which oversees federal transit programs. "For generations this bridge has served as an important link to and from Westerly's North End and downtown area. This federal funding will restore the bridge improving the safety for motorists and train traffic along the Northeast Corridor."

"Throughout my tenure as Westerly Town Manager, the Town Council and I have emphasized the importance of infrastructure maintenance and improvements. The people of Westerly endorsed this priority by approving a $5 million bond for road and drainage improvements during the last election. Therefore, I could not be more pleased with the efforts of Senator Reed to forward improvements to the West Street Bridge during these challenging economic times," stated Town Manager Joseph Turo.

"I'd like to extend my thanks to Senator Reed for securing this money. These funds will complement the state funds that have been earmarked for the repair of the bridge, which has been a safety concern for a number of years," said Senate Minority Leader Dennis Algiere.

SAFETEA-LU provides a guaranteed pool of funding for highways, highway safety, and public transportation; representing the largest surface transportation investment in United State's history. The law provides a total of $1.011 billion for Rhode Island highway projects from fiscal years 2005-2009, including over $325 million under the Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation program. This program allows states to redirect funding from other highway programs for needed bridge maintenance and replacement.