The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration is now accepting applications for the first round of projects to be funded through the new Competitive Bridge Investment Program.
The program was a part of President Joe Biden's $1 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill that was signed into law back in November 2021.
"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," Pete Buttigieg, Transportation Secretary, said in a press release.
The recently announced Bridge Investment Program will be providing $12.5 billion in competitive grant funding over five years, with $2.4 billion just in fiscal year 2022, according to a press release.
The release noted the Program "focuses on the repair, rehabilitation, or replacement of existing bridges across the country to reduce the overall number of those bridges either in poor condition, or in fair condition at risk of declining into poor condition."
The USDOT hopes that by repairing essential bridges across the country, it will help bridges across the country "remain operational, support local economies, strengthen our supply chains, improve safety, and create good-paying jobs," according to the release.
