Dear Phillip:
On this Veterans Day, I was honored to join state and local officials in Bismarck and Mandan in dedicating the new Liberty Memorial Bridge. Like its predecessor, this new bridge will continue to stand as a testament to our veterans who have served this nation with distinction and honor.
In order to ensure the bridge was affordable for the state and cities, I fought to include a provision in the highway bill requiring the federal government to pay for 90 percent of the bridge's replacement cost. Normally, the State and local governments would have been responsible for 20 percent of the cost of replacement. My amendment cut this in half, saving North Dakota taxpayers more than $6 million.
We know that investing in infrastructure is one of the best ways to support economic growth. It directly creates jobs, and it produces a ripple effect throughout our economy. The cities of Bismarck and Mandan should be commended for looking to the future with this new bridge. For years to come this bridge will pay huge dividends to the region's development, and it will serve as a lasting reminder that we must never forget the sacrifices of our nation's veterans in the defense of liberty and freedom.
Sincerely,
KENT CONRAD
United States Senate
You have received this e-mail because you have signed up for Transportaion or Veterans Issue Updates. If you do not want to receive future updates, you can remove yourself from this mailing list by visiting my Web page at http://conrad.senate.gov/issues/signup.cfm. Please feel free to forward this e-mail to others who you think would be interested in this information. If this e-mail was forwarded to you and you would like to sign up to receive future updates directly from me, please visit my Web page at http://conrad.senate.gov/issues/signup.cfm.
