The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration is calling for applications for the competitive Bridge Investment Program.
The program, established through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will provide $12.5 billion over five years to "help plan, replace, rehabilitate, protect and preserve some of the nation's largest bridges," according to a June 10 news release. There is reportedly nearly $2.4 billion available for the 2022 fiscal year.
"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," DOT 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."
According to the release, the Bridge Investment Program allows multi-year grant agreements for large projects, offers grants to help fund the planning process and offers construction grants to cover large projects and bridge projects.
"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 FHWA Administrator Stephanie Pollack said in the news release. "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."
More information is available at FHWA's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law web page or the grant opportunity page for the program.
