The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration announced the first round of grants from President Joe Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law's Bridge Investment Program.
The early planning grants, awarded to 23 projects in as many states, will help fund early phases of project development to make a bridge construction project pipeline, according to an Oct. 12 news release.
“Bridges represent more than just their physical structures — they connect people and communities and make it easier to go about our daily lives," DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in the release. "These grants will help communities across the country move forward to modernize their bridges and make it easier for people and goods to move quickly, reliably and safely to their destinations.”
“Across the nation, the Biden-Harris administration is making historic investments in thousands of bridges, which often serve as a community’s or region’s most important transportation link,” said Deputy Transportation Secretary Polly Trottenberg, according to the release. “These Bridge Planning Grants will be used to create a pipeline of future bridge construction projects to improve safety, add or improve multi-modal access, support economic competitiveness, and provide resilient highway infrastructure that is better able to withstand the effects of climate change.”
“The Bridge Planning program will help create a pipeline of bridge projects that can potentially be awarded construction grants during the implementation of President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. These planning grants were all made at the requested funding amounts for bridges that are critical to working people living in communities across the country,” said Acting Federal Highway Administrator Stephanie Pollack, according to the release. “Through the Bridge Investment Program, we are helping communities as they plan to restore and replace bridges that play vital roles for the people who use them in their daily lives. Planning for these activities is a critical step before construction can get underway.”
