Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said the city has received a critical license from the state, allowing it to “truly begin” the work of rebuilding a bridge to Long Island, to connect the region to a future addiction-recovery campus.

Wu plans to announce the license at a Thursday morning virtual press conference. It was issued Wednesday by the Department of Environmental Protection Waterways Regulation Program, or Chapter 91, which ensures projects in waterways meet public-access requirements.

“With this major state approval in hand, our work to rebuild the Long Island Bridge and bring back this critical health care campus can truly begin,” Wu said in a Wednesday statement. “This is a transformative opportunity to support families and meet the needs of individuals and communities across the region.”

The approval comes about a week after Wu discussed how the future bridge and recovery campus are part of her administration’s plan to tackle the opioid crisis, which is particularly prevalent around Melnea Cass Boulevard and Massachusetts Avenue.

The mayor made her remarks on a “Java with Jimmy” online podcast, where she also teased a “major step” the city plans to take to address the deteriorating conditions occurring at Mass and Cass, an area long known for open-air drug dealing and homeless encampments.

An administration official has said the new approach will focus on criminal activity, and it’s unclear if the latest announcement is what Wu was referring to.

Efforts to rebuild a bridge from Moon Island in Quincy to Boston’s Long Island date back years, to the Marty Walsh administration. The effort has been stalled due to opposition from Quincy officials, but separate courts have ruled in Boston’s favor on several occasions.

Prior estimates put the cost to build the bridge at $80 million, with a much steeper price for a full overhaul of the Long Island addiction recovery campus, at $540 million, the Herald has reported.

“We’re ready to move forward in partnership with health care, recovery and housing providers, alongside our governmental and philanthropic partners, and the many community members who believe in the enormous potential of this unique resource to help meet our most urgent challenges,” Wu said.

Meanwhile, the FY24 state budget includes a $50,000 study pushed by Southie state Sen. Nick Collins on the feasibility of converting a decommissioned ship or another water-based vessel into a floating hospital for mental health, substance use treatment, and recovery services.

It would be a bridge to the rebuild of the Long Island span.