The US Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration is launching the Bridge Formula Program, which will provide $26.5 billion to states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico over the next five years, as well as $825 million for tribal bridges, according to a senior administration official.
The official added that the Federal Highway Administration will distribute $5.3 billion to states, DC and Puerto Rico during the 2021 fiscal year, along with $155 million to tribes, the official added.
“This represents the single largest dedicated bridge investment since the interstate highway system,” the official said.
The program is expected to improve 15,000 highway bridges, according to the official, as well as “off system” bridges that carry smaller roads and are not part of the federal highway system. Under the new program, the entire cost of repairing or rehabilitating “off system” bridges can be covered with federal funds. Funding from the program also can be used to make bridges more accessible to cyclists and pedestrians.
“It is a once-in-a-generation investment that will grow the economy, enhance the competitiveness in the world, create good jobs and make our transportation more sustainable and equitable,” the official said.
The $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law includes $550 billion in new infrastructure investments that range from roads and bridges to airports, mass transit, waterways and energy systems.
