The Coast Guard Museum, which is under construction in New London, Connecticut, is on track to open in 2026.
U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) was there on Tuesday.
He said the Coast Guard, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, can't directly fund the project. So, it relies on federal and state funding as well as investments from hundreds of private donors and businesses.
The federal government has contributed $100 million to the project, and the state has contributed $20 million.
“I have the fortune of being the chairman of the subcommittee that writes the checks for the Department of Homeland Security,” Murphy said. “I sought the chairmanship of that committee because I knew that we had the chance to do something really special here, and I knew that if I was chairman of that committee overseeing the budget, we had a good chance to be able to close that funding gap and turn this from a dream into a reality.”
The project is projected to cost around $150 million in total.
The new museum will include interactive and immersive experiences and state-of-the-art exhibits.
It will feature more than 600 artifacts and 5,000 images, including STEM-based educational programs for schools and colleges.
