May 19, 2021 Press Release
Officials will meet laborers, union leaders at Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge to discuss American Jobs Plan, importance of replacing nation’s infrastructure
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Wednesday May 19, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, Mayor Muriel Bowser of the District of Columbia, and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer will visit the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge construction site in southeast Washington, D.C. The officials will offer remarks about the American Jobs Plan, its creation of millions of good-paying jobs and the importance of replacing the nation’s infrastructure.
WASHINGTON (AP) Senate Republicans have not substantially budged off their initial $568 billion infrastructure proposal despite overtures from the White House to work toward a compromise as President Joe Biden tries to strike a bipartisan agreement on his sweeping $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan. The lack of any sizable movement beyond the Republicans’ initial proposal or any other notable changes to narrow the gap with Biden is certain to.
Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) Facebook
The Hernando DeSoto Bridge, which carries I-40 across the Mississippi River between Tennessee and Arkansas, was suddenly closed on May 11 when engineers from the Arkansas Department of Transport discovered a fractured support beam during a routine inspection. Since then, new information has come to light revealing that damage to the bridge has been visible and evident as far back as 2016.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) announced it had awarded a contract for the emergency repair of the bridge to Kiewit Infrastructure Group. TDOT said the work would be completed in two phases beginning as early as May 19, and that both phases would be completed before the bridge could be reopened.
WASHINGTON â Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Wednesday reinstated an Obama-era pilot program that aims to aid minority and disadvantaged people by ensuring local hiring for public works construction projects, reversing a decision by the Trump administration.
Buttigieg made the announcement after touring the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge, a decades-old span across the Anacostia River thatâs undergoing a massive reconstruction. The bridge project was launched under the local hiring rules that Buttigieg is bringing back.
âWe know this can work because it worked right here,â Buttigieg said. âItâs such a great example of the things weâre talking about.â