U.S. Sen. Susan Collins has secured $8 million in federal funding for the University of Maine to develop a prototype bridge.
That money from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Infrastructure will fund research into developing a bridge at half the cost, half the time and that lasts twice as long, the senator’s office announced Friday morning.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy informed Collins this week that his agency was moving ahead with the partnership.
The UMaine Advanced Structures and Composites Center will explore using composites and artificial intelligence-assisted design to develop the prototype under the Exceptional Bridges through Innovative Design and Groundbreaking Engineering program.
“The Advanced Structures and Composites Center has long been a leader in this innovative space, and I cannot think of a better partner for the federal government for this bridge building initiative,” Collins said in a statement. “This investment will support cutting-edge research that has the potential to revolutionize how we construct our nation’s bridges — saving taxpayers money while creating good-paying jobs here in Maine.”
That comes with the option to extend that partnership for up to two years for $6 million a year.
“We are delighted that ARPA-I has selected the University of Maine for this inaugural grant competition. It is a big day for UMaine and for providing more durable bridges to the public,” said Habib Dagher, executive director of the Advanced Structures and Composites Center.
In addition to that partnership, Collins announced another $18 million in congressionally directed spending for the composites center.
That comes just days after the composites center announced nine workers would be laid off because of uncertainty amid President Donald Trump’s cuts and pauses to research funding. Those layoffs will be effective June 6. They include engineers, scientists and technicians.
