On Friday, the city hosted a celebration of the $50 million in federal funding now dedicated to the project as part of a federal funding bill signed by President Joe Biden last week. Members of the Coast Guard Museum Association, which leads the fundraising efforts for the museum, call it a game changer and the impetus for more private funds to flow to the project. Construction on City Pier could start as early as this summer if permits are secured for the project. Officials say the museum is likely to attract several hundred thousand visitors to the city each year and comes at a time when Mayor Passero said the city is in the midst of “an economic renaissance … the likes of which we have not seen since the whaling era when New London’s wealth was unrivaled in the state.” The state, as part of funding commitments to the project, has pledged $20 million toward construction of a 400-foot pedestrian bridge over Water Street and the railroad tracks, which will bring visitors directly to the museum and waterfront.
https://www.theday.com/local-news/20220325/new-london-celebrates-funding-for-national-coast-guard-museum