Biden touts funds for Amtrak bridge

Washington (AP) - Vice President Joe Biden says a Connecticut rail project will be among the first to be funded by the $1.3 billion for Amtrak in the economic stimulus package.

Speaking today at Union Station in Washington, D.C., Biden said $105 million will be spent to replace the 100-year-old drawbridge spanning the Niantic River near East Lyme.

Repairs have been planned for 20 years, but have been postponed because of a lack of funds. Biden says that further delays would lead to significant speed restrictions, slowing trains on the Northeast Corridor that runs from Washington to Boston.

Officials say repairs are expected to begin almost immediately and should be completed in two years.

The national passenger railroad, long criticized for its reliance on government subsidies, has strong support from the Obama administration.

As a senator, Biden commuted on Amtrak for decades between his home in Wilmington, Delaware and Washington.