The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is pausing more than $11 billion in lower-priority projects due to the ongoing government shutdown, according to Russell Vought, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget. The funding pause affects projects across major urban centres, including New York City, San Francisco, Boston, and Baltimore, though a full list has not been officially released.

Among the projects reportedly impacted is Massachusetts’ Cape Cod Bridges Program, valued at $600 million, which aims to replace the 90-year-old Sagamore and Bourne bridges. 

Water and wastewater infrastructure in New York, representing roughly $7 billion of paused work, is also included, alongside flood prevention initiatives along the San Francisco waterfront. Additional projects in Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, New Mexico, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Rhode Island may also be affected.

The Corps has emphasised that projects critical to life and safety will continue, while lower-priority works are being reviewed for efficiency, reprioritisation, or potential cancellation once the shutdown ends. 

The pause follows a broader pattern of federal project interruptions: the Department of Transportation has suspended $18 billion in transit funding in New York and $2 billion in Chicago, and the Department of Energy has halted grants worth $7.6 billion.

Vought cited the shutdown as a constraint on the Corps’ ability to oversee billions in ongoing projects, raising concerns about delays and potential long-term impacts on infrastructure development. Political tensions have intensified, with lawmakers highlighting the disproportionate effect on states that opposed President Trump in the 2020 election.

Read the full article to see which projects are at risk and the potential implications for urban infrastructure nationwide.