U.S. Secretary of Trans?portation Buttigieg visits Freeport, tours bridge projects

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg is visiting Maine this week as part of a national tour highlighting federal contributions to state highway projects. Buttigieg began on Tuesday by touring two bridge reconstruction projects in Freeport, joined by Sen.

Angus King, I-Maine, and Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine. The projects involve rebuilding aging highway overpasses spanning Interstate 295.

The bridges -- located at exits 20 and 22 -- were built in 1957 at the dawn of the interstate highway project and, according to the Maine Department of Transportation, are showing their age. Projects to rebuild both bridges began in 2022 and are expected to be finished in 2025. It is expected to cost about £26.5 million.

According to state and federal officials, about £17.7 million of that cost is being paid for by federal money. That includes about £11 million allocated by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg takes questions from reporters in Freeport on Tuesday, along with Rep.

Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, right, and Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, to Buttigieg's right. (Spectrum News/Sean Murphy) On Monday, Buttigieg praised the Biden-Harris administration's efforts to allocate funding to states like Maine for projects like the Freeport bridges.

"What I'm excited (about) is, now the dirt is flying," Buttigieg said. This is the last state on Buttigieg's national tour, and he said Maine's climate presents unique challenges. For example, he said, the new replacement bridges in Freeport are built to accommodate long-term damage from road salt, something the original bridges were not built to do.

Buttigieg also noted that the infrastructure needs of rural areas differ from those in more densely populated places. "It really is unique, and that's part of why we wanted to come out here directly, to see what was at stake in terms of making sure we're supporting more rural and less dense areas," he said. A metal sign accompanying the tour group indicated the federal effort had bipartisan support, and Buttigieg said he hoped to see that bipartisanship continue despite ongoing party clashes in Washington.

"There's nothing Republican or Democrat about a bridge needing to get done," he said. "It just has to happen, and I hope that that spirit will continue." Buttigieg also joined Pingree and members of the White House Domestic Policy Council for a panel discussion at the Wolfe's Neck Smith Center in Freeport on the needs of rural communities. Buttigieg was on a short list of potential running mates for Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential bid, until she announced early Tuesday morning that she was selecting Minnesota Gov.

Tim Walz. While meeting with reporters during the bridge tour Tuesday, Buttigieg declined to discuss the Harris campaign at all, citing campaign finance law forbidding him to discuss the campaign while conducting official cabinet duties. Buttigieg also offered no comment on Harris choosing Walz other than to speak positively of him overall.

"As secretary, I've worked with Governor Walz, and he is a fantastic partner, a great leader who understands the importance of infrastructure, and just somebody I really enjoy working with," he said.

Buttigieg is expected to be in Portland today, touring the Portland International Marine Terminal and the East Deering industrial waterfront area.

Both locations have received awards from the Biden-Harris administration for renovation projects.