WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) issued the following statement today on the failure of the breakwater at the Port of Eastport early this morning:

“The longer we wait to deal with our failing infrastructure, the more people and local economies are put at risk and that, as we saw today, is unacceptable,” Senator King said. “This morning I called Elaine Abbott, the Acting City Manager of Eastport, and Chris Gardner, the Executive Director of the Eastport Port Authority, and my office will continue to be in touch with the Maine Department of Transportation as well as other local and state officials to see if there may be any federal assistance available to expedite the rehabilitation and replacement of the pier and the breakwater.”

On September 5, 2013, the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded $6 million in funding from the 2013 Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) discretionary grant program to support the replacement of the breakwater.

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