Despite worries of paused funding, Eng says Cape Cod bridges project proceeds
A vague tweet posted by a top Trump administration official last Friday afternoon sent state officials in Massachusetts scrambling .
Russell Vought, director of President Trump's Office of Management and Budget, said the administration was withholding $11 billion that the Army Corps of Engineers had pledged to infrastructure projects in some Democratic-led cities, including Boston.
State officials feared that it might include a high-stakes project elsewhere in the state: the replacement of the two Cape Cod bridges, using $600 million in Army Corps dollars. Vought's tweet said the government would be "considering [the projects] for cancellation because of the government shutdown.
But a week later, state officials have no indication the money has actually been held up, and the project moves forward.
"We have been in touch with the Army Corps. We've been in touch with [the Federal Highway Administration]. There's nothing official with regards to funding being held up," acting Massachusetts Transportation Secretary Phillip Eng told MassLive.
The state would continue to monitor the funding, he said.
"Until we hear otherwise, we're just going to go full steam ahead," Eng added.
Gov. Maura Healey, in response to questions Friday morning on whether the funding had actually been frozen, referred MassLive to a statement she put out last week with Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey and U.S. Rep. Bill Keating, who represents the Cape and Islands.
"While we are aware that the White House Office of Management and Budget tweeted that the Trump Administration is pausing $11 billion in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects, we have not received any information from the federal government regarding this action," they said.
The Army Corps has committed $350 million to replace the Sagamore Bridge and $250 million to replace the Bourne Bridge, both of which it owns and operates.
The two bridges provide the only paths for vehicles over the Cape Cod Canal.
At 90 years old, they are "structurally deficient, functionally obsolete, and nearing the end of their usable life," according to the state. But officials have said the bridges remain safe to travel.
In total, the federal government has committed to providing $1.72 billion to replace the bridges, including the money pledged by the Army Corps. The state will also put up $700 million. The total cost for the projects is expected to be multiple billions of dollars.
"The Cape Cod Bridges are federally-owned assets that carry millions of travelers a year, and are essential for the safety of Cape Codders and visitors from across the country and the world," Healey, Warren, Markey and Keating said last week. "This project is moving forward with funding appropriated by a bipartisan Congress and lawfully awarded by the federal government. Our focus remains on rebuilding both bridges and delivering the safe, reliable transportation infrastructure that our residents, visitors and businesses deserve."
Vought's tweets did not specify the projects in Boston or other cities that may be subject to canceled funds.
The Army Corps is involved in 30 other projects across Massachusetts, including the deepening of Boston Harbor, an assessment of the coastal storm risks posed to Boston, and a flood risk management and environmental restoration effort on the Muddy River in Boston and Brookline.
Others projects are nearby Boston, in Malden, Quincy, Hull and other communities.
The Corps itself has not commented since Vought's post.
However, it said in an Oct. 2 statement — a day after the shutdown began — that it "remains committed to the people of New England."
"The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers remains fully committed to supporting the American people, the economy and national security, no matter the challenges presented by a lapse in appropriations," the statement said.
MassLive politics editor John Micek contributed to this report.
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