$10 billion allocated to modernize bridges in the United States

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has opened applications for $9.7 billion in multi-year funding. This was announced on Wednesday, December 20, 2023.

The Biden administration’s bipartisan Infrastructure Act (BIL), which established the Bridge Investment Program, will invest a total of $40 billion over five years to help ensure that some of the nation’s most critical bridges remain safe and operational. meet current and future traveler needs, support local economies, strengthen supply chains and create good-paying jobs across the country.

“When a bridge closes, it costs Americans time and money, disrupts supply chains across the region and sometimes deprives entire communities of vital resources,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “Thanks to President Biden, we are making the largest investment in bridges in America since the Interstate System was built, and these grants will help repair bridges in communities of all sizes so we can safely get people and goods where they need to be.”

BIL has already funded more than 7,000 bridge projects, according to a Dec. 20 FHWA statement.

Under the BIL, a grant application for a project located in a state that has not received one major bridge project grant or two bridge project grants in previous grant rounds will have priority over grantees that have already received funding.

“With the funding we’re announcing today as part of President Biden’s Investing in America program, communities will be able to plan and implement bridge projects that will improve the safety and mobility of people in rural regions, urban areas and between,” said Federal Highway Administrator Dear Shailen Bhatt. . “The Bridge Investment Program has already funded nearly 40 bridge projects across the country, and this funding will help communities continue to plan and advance important bridge projects in the years ahead.”

The Dec. 20 announcement builds on other bridge investment program funding opportunities made possible under the bipartisan infrastructure bill, including large bridge projects (more than $100 million) announced in September. In FY 2022, the Bridge Investment Program invested $2.4 billion in the planning and construction of 37 bridges in 29 U.S. states.

NOFO provides available funding for fiscal years 2023-2026. It also includes updated quality criteria to provide more guidance to bridge project applicants, as well as updated application templates that applicants can use when submitting project information.