The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHA) opened a funding opportunity last week for the competitive Bridge Investment Program created by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, promising nearly $2.4 billion this year for bridge work.
That money, pulled from the nearly $12.5 billion to be provided over the next five years, is meant to improve supply chains, lower prices and improve transportation through planning, replacement, rehabilitation, protection and preservation of the nation’s bridges. The Bridge Investment Program expanded applicant eligibility for all levels of government to be direct recipients of program funds.
The program allows multi-year grant agreements to better fund large projects over pre-construction and into construction activities. In terms of construction, these grants cover both large projects over $100 million and bridge projects at up to $100 million. Its grants also help fund the planning process, including feasibility analyses and revenue forecasting.
“With resources from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we’re thrilled to begin accepting applications for one of the most significant investments in our bridges in decades, fixing everything from America’s most economically significant bridges to smaller bridges that mean everything to a local community,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said. “When these bridges are repaired, the American people will benefit from greater safety, lower shipping costs for consumers and maintenance costs for drivers, faster movement of goods across our supply chains, fuel savings, and precious time being returned to their day.”
These funds come in addition to the more than $27 billion already provided to states by the Bridge Formula Program. Put together, $40 billion have been made available by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for this side of things, representing the largest dedicated investment in bridges since the Interstate highway system was built.
“These funds will make a significant contribution to improving the condition of our nation’s aging bridges, both large, signature bridge projects that are important for our national economy as well as smaller structures that provide benefits at the regional and local levels and are critical for communities across the country,” Deputy Federal Highway Administrator Stephanie Pollack said. “FHWA has designed this program to meet the needs of communities and bridges of all sizes, including those that are still in the planning stage.”