Fifteen years after the closing of the Keim Street bridge in Pottstown, Montgomery’s counties crashed on Monday Replacement of the bridgeEven because some worried uncertainty about federal funds can delay the project even more.
Keim Street Bridge, once a critical artery crossing the Schuylkill River to connect Pottstown in Montgomery with North Coventry in Chester, has been closed since 2010 due to structural fears.
Thanks to the construction fully financed by federal dollars, the works began formally on Monday with a project worth $ 20 million for the reconstruction of a 90-year-old bridge.
“We are preparing this region for the next century,” said the commissioner of Montgomery, Jamila Winder, and Democrat.
The bridge project was 80% financed by the federal government, and the remaining 20% ​​from state and federal sources. Construction costs will be fully financed as part of a federal program established in a double -sided infrastructure act signed by former president Joe Biden.
As part of the program, local governments cover the initial labor costs, but are returned by the federal government. Currently, a spokesman for the Fountain said that the bridge financing program has not been frozen. But uncertainty remains because the administration of President Donald Trump tried to drastically reduce federal expenses and often circumscribed funds for already approved programs.
“We’ve been waiting for a long time. We do not want to wait even longer, so we hope that these funds are safe and will continue until the end of the project, “said Neil Machija, a democrat, who chaired the council of the commissioners of Montgomery.
Trump signed an executive ordinance in January, instructing agencies about “immediate payment of funds” in accordance with the Law of Biden infrastructure in 2021. The order was presented as a momentary step so that the agencies could review payments, but still prompted legislators from both parties to fear that they can threaten billions of financing projects that are already underway and appropriated by the congress.
Trump signaled that he wants to recover some dollars, especially in the case of climate projects. On Monday, the organization’s coalition awarded $ 7 billion for federal funds for climate and housing projects, sued Trump’s administration to restore access to money, which was granted under the Act on reducing Biden inflation.
Makhija said that the county would do everything in his power to provide the delivery of promised funds to the bridge. Machija raised the possibility of court disputes in relation to other missing federal funds, including dollars promised to local non-profit organizations for residential assistance.
“We must use costs and deal with uncertainty that exists,” he said in an interview.
The restoration or exchange of Keim Street Bridge has long been a priority for Pottstown officials who believe that the project will facilitate drive revitalization efforts in the suburban community. The project is to be completed in 2028. Republican Commissioner Tom Dibello said on Monday that he hopes that the project would be completed earlier, while a representative of the democratic state Joe Ciresi said it was time to replace the bridge.
“This is the main thoroughfare that should be open many years ago,” said Ciresi.
Staff writer Julia Terruso contributed to this article.
