U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan: I understand the urgency in replacing Rourke Bridge

By Congresswoman Lori Trahan

Like so many in Lowell, I remember the day that ground was broken on the Rourke Bridge. What was supposed to be a “temporary” fix to a traffic problem affecting our entire region was being built just blocks away from my family’s house on Staples Street.

I was 10 years old then. Crossing the Rourke Bridge became a regular part of my life in the years that followed. My family drove across it regularly to get to doctor’s appointments at Lowell General Hospital. I even ran across it while training for marathons and felt the anxiety of the bridge shaking while I was in the pedestrian cage.

I know the Rourke Bridge, and I couldn’t agree more that replacing it is long overdue.

The days of holding your breath every time you cross the bridge must become a relic of the past. No one should feel like they need to keep their windows rolled down, especially in the middle of winter, because they might need to escape the car in the event of an emergency. And no longer should ambulances have to worry about which bridge to take to get someone from the Highlands to Lowell General when they’re in need of critical care simply because Rourke might be backed up.

Replacing the Rourke Bridge and improving our community is one of the main reasons I ran for Congress just four years ago. It’s why I strongly supported the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law late last year, and frankly, it’s why that was one of the easiest votes I’ve ever cast.

This legislation will deliver more than $1 billion in funding to replace Massachusetts bridges exactly like this one over the next five years. In fact, more than $225 million has already been announced for the commonwealth for this year alone. These funds are guaranteed — I was with President Biden the day he signed the bipartisan bill into law, and there’s billions more available through competitive grant programs that we know Rourke is eligible for.

The work we’re doing now is focused on positioning projects like this replacement — ones that have been postponed time and time again — to receive the federal investments necessary to complete them.

That’s why there has been such a flurry of action on a critical first step: getting the Rourke Bridge project on MassDOT’s State Transportation Improvement Program, or STIP for short. Projects on the STIP are prioritized for federal funding, including the unprecedented investments making their way to Massachusetts from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The efforts of the city, the council, the communities and members that make up the Northern Middlesex Council of Governments, and our local business partners are key to clearing this mandatory hurdle. So too is our state delegation that has thrown their full support behind adding the Rourke Bridge to the STIP. Going forward, our broad coalition will be leading a full court press to get this project moving — from getting federal and state funds flowing to getting shovels in the ground.

Everyone agrees: the Rourke Bridge must be replaced. Together, we will get it done.