Bill Keating: “This amendment would grant the Army Corps of Engineers the authority to repair or replace any Army Corps bridge that is…”

“This amendment would grant the Army Corps of Engineers the authority to repair or replace any Army Corps bridge that is necessary for evacuation during extreme weather or natural disaster in New England. In my district, Mr. Chairman, the Bourne and Sagamore bridges represent the only roads for crossing the Cape Cod Canal by car. These bridges, owned by the Army Corps, have long reached the end of their working lives. In fact, the Army Corps is already spending a significant amount of funds just to keep the traffic on the bridges moving. Anyone who has gone there in the summer and experienced that can well attest to that. We cannot risk the safety of those vital roadways at any time, let alone at a time of an emergency. As the Corps already knows, it is important that we recognize that the canal bridges and other critical evacuation infrastructure across the Nation play a fundamental role in providing for the public safety of countless Americans. Much of this State and local work required to ensure the long-term safety of the canal bridges is already under way. I have also been working closely with the Army Corps leadership in New England and in Washington to ensure that the funding necessary for the safest, most resilient evacuation routes remains a priority.…”