Biden admin celebrates new bridges as campaign season nears
Associated PressWASHINGTON — The Biden administration is awarding nearly $300 million to help repair or replace more than a dozen bridges across the country, closing out a three-week tour to highlight the benefits of infrastructure investments in local communities. During the administration’s “Investing in America” tour, Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and other officials held more than 50 events across 25 states at projects benefiting from the landmark infrastructure, climate and high-tech manufacturing laws passed during the Democratic president’s first two years in office. Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was in upstate New York to announce $21 million to rehabilitate the Castleton-on-Hudson Bridge, Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt announced $51.2 million to replace six bridges in rural South Carolina, and White House infrastructure coordinator Mitch Landrieu celebrated $15.1 million to help replace six bridges leading into Madison, Wisconsin. “We think about things like the Golden Gate Bridge,” Harris said, standing in front of the simple concrete span into the nation’s capital, but bridges like the one crossing the Potomac River are “just as important.” Zients said the officials’ travel is part of the White House emphasis on “telling the story” of Biden’s record, adding that “the best way to tell the story is to go where things are happening.” While such stories are generally overshadowed on a national scale by other developments, the White House believes the officials’ visits and the milestones they mark will resonate with the communities that benefit from them. Zients said one aim of the White House push was to draw a contrast with congressional Republicans, many of whom have voted against key pieces of Biden’s legislative record.