The U.S. Department of Transportation will provide the Missouri DOT with $20.7 million for the Fixing Access to Rural Missouri bridge program.
The program aims to replace some of the state’s various structurally deficient bridges, with a focus on MODOT’s northwest and northeast districts. The new funding will be pulled from the Competitive Highway Bridge Program (CHBP), to which MODOT had applied for help. The CHBP was granted $225 million by Congress last year, as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act. Under the program, states with a population density of fewer than 100 individuals per square mile can request a portion of those funds.
“This $225 million in federal funding will enable 18 states to make vital upgrades to select bridges in rural areas,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao.
U.S. Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO) said that the state funding needed to replace bridges has been significant, taking funding away from other important projects.
“These bridges are critical to the movement of goods and services in North Missouri,” Graves said. “Weight restrictions and lane reductions on farm-to-market roads adversely affect our farm implements, school buses, and emergency vehicles. I applaud MODOT’s focus on replacing these bridges and I look forward to seeing them constructed for the continued safety and economic vitality of North Missouri.”