Patty Murphy, Northwest Mother and Senator, Discusses Spending $500 Million on Bridge Fund?

Senator Patty Murphy, mother of two and resident of the Pacific Northwest state of Washington, announced via her position at the chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development that Congress will set up a $500 million fund dedicated to repairing and replacing old bridges along busy highway corridors. 

Much of Murphy's interest in replacing old bridges stems from the May 23 collapse of the Skagit River Bridge in Washington. 

"(Skagit was) a stern wake-up call to reinvest in aging bridges, particularly along corridors such as I-5 that support commuters, small businesses and large manufacturers," she said. 

States would apply for aid from the fund, titled Bridges in Critical Corridors, independently and competitively under the new plan. The funds would work similar to TIGER stimulus grants that went toward refurbishments on the Mercer Street and South Park bridges in Washington in recent years. 

The funds will come from the Appropriations Subcommittee's $54 billion 2014 budget. 

Murray has also been busy on the bridge front working for a new crossing on the I-5 highway connecting Portland, OR and Vancouver. One of the bridges along the stretch has nearly reached the century mark and is in line for replacement. At the moment the federal government has offered up to $1.3 billion in funds for the project, which looks to cost a total of $3.5 billion. Murray announced that the project will have a $65 million dollar budget in 2014 just for the cost of design. 

The I-5 project will also incorporate light rail lines and pedestrian bike paths.