More than $18.4 million in first round U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) grants for bridge projects in 23 states will affect people in many communities, said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a news release.
The funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law's competitive Bridge Investment Program were awarded to 23 projects, according to an FHWA Oct. 12 news release. The largest grants were awarded to bridge projects in Seattle, New York, Philadelphia, Kodiak Island Borough in Alaska and Colorado Springs, Colorado.
"Bridges represent more than just their physical structures. They connect people and communities and make it easier to go about our daily lives," Buttigieg said in the news 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."
The FHWA grants were mostly for early phase of project planning and development with the ultimate intent to help in building, repairing and replacing tens of thousands of bridges across the country.
Cities and local governments make up the bulk of the FHWA grants.
Seattle was awarded $2.4 million to replace its Fourth Street Bridge over the Argo Railyard. New York was awarded $1.6 million for planning and developing a 30-year capital construction program for four East River Bridges. Philadelphia was awarded more than $1.5 million for a planning and feasibility study to rehabilitate 18 bridges across electrified rail lines operated primarily by Amtrak and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority.
Kodiak Island Borough was awarded more than $1.2 million for Kodiak Sargent Creek and Russian River bridges planning study in advance of replacing the bridges. Colorado Springs was awarded $750,000 for planning and environmental linkages study in reference to two bridges, one on Fillmore Street over Monument Creek and the Pikes Peak Greenway Trail and Union Pacific Railroad.
The smallest grants went to Gallatin County, Illinois, $48,000 for a planning study to replace the Peabody Road Bridge over the Saline River in Bowlesville Township. Lafourche Parish, Louisiana received $60,000 for pre-replacement studies for a bridge over Lafourche Bayou, and Flathead County, Montana received, $240,000 for initial planning activities for four county bridges.
Not only cities and local governments received the first round of FHWA grants. The Oregon Department of Transportation was awarded $1 million for a Hayden Island ground improvement study seismic analysis to support future replacement of the Interstate 5 bridge that crosses the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington.
Cape May County Bridge Commission in New Jersey was awarded more than $1.9 to study alternatives to replaces the Townsend Inlet, Corson’s Inlet, Grassy Sound, and Great Channel bridges. The Connecticut Department of Transportation was awarded $1 million for to study replacing the Interstate Highway 95 bridge near exits 7-9 through the city of Stamford.
