Washington Update
FHWA Opens Applications for Nearly $10 Billion for Large Bridge Projects
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration opened applications on Sept. 29 for nearly $10 billion in funding for fiscal years 2023-2026 through the competitive Bridge Investment Program’s “Large Bridge Project” category, which funds projects larger than $100 million.
The Bridge Investment Program was established by the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which makes the single largest dedicated investment in bridges since the construction of the Interstate highway system: a total of $40 billion over five years to help ensure that some of the nation’s most important bridges remain safe and operational, meet current and future traveler needs, support local economies, strengthen our supply chains, and create good-paying jobs across the country. In Fiscal Year 2022, the Bridge Investment Program invested $2.4 billion in the planning and construction of 37 bridge projects in 29 states across the country.
“Bridges are more than steel and concrete—they connect communities, move vital goods, and make it easier to go about our daily lives,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “These grants will help communities across the country modernize their bridges, and make it easier for everyone to move quickly, reliably, and safely to their destinations.”
Key updates to the Bridge Investment Program, Large Bridge Project competitive grants include:
- Accepting applications for FY2023-FY2026, creating the opportunity for applicants to compete for funding for all four fiscal years with a single application.
- Updated merit criteria to provide more direction to applicants, as well as an updated “smart application” template that FHWA highly encourages applicants to use to assist applicants in filling out the application.
- A new Benefit Cost Analysis tool to assist applicants in completing required project analysis.
- An optional initial eligibility screening to provide applicants whose submission is determined to be incomplete or ineligible the opportunity to submit an amended application.