The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration recently unveiled the first round of large bridge projects grants under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill’s Bridge Investment Program.
The funding, according to a Jan. 4 news release, will fund four projects to address significant safety issues and freight delays which results in increased costs.
"These large bridge project grants are going to projects that are construction ready and will have a real impact for vehicles, transit, pedestrians and bicyclists traveling on America's roadways who will benefit from these improvements for decades to come," FHA Administrator Shailen Bhatt said in the release.
Receiving grant funds are the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, $1.385 billion, to rehabilitate the Brent Spence Bridge between Kentucky and Ohio; the Golden Gate Bridge highway and transportation district in California, $400 million, to help reenforce the bridge against earthquakes; the Connecticut Department of Transportation, $158 million, to rehabilitate the northbound structure of the Gold Star Memorial Bridge; and the city of Chicago, Ill., $144 million to rehabilitate four bridges over the Calumet River, according to the release.
“Safe, modern bridges ensure that first responders can get to calls more quickly, shipments reach businesses on time and drivers can get to where they need to go," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in the news release. "The Biden-Harris administration is proud to award this historic funding to modernize large bridges that are not only pillars of our economy, but also iconic symbols of their states' past and future.”
According to the news release, the program earmarks $40 billion over five years for the repair and reconstruction of thousands of bridges nationwide, including some that are historically and economically relevant.
