WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has announced the first round of grants from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s competitive Bridge Investment Program.
These early planning grants, going to 23 projects in 23 states, will help fund early phases of project development to create a pipeline of bridge construction projects, one of many ways in which the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will help build, repair and replace tens of thousands of bridges in communities across the country, according to an FHWA 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,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said. “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.”
In total, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Bridge Investment Program will make the single largest dedicated investment in bridges — $12.5 billion over five years, with nearly $2.4 billion available in Fiscal Year 2022 — since the construction of the interstate highway system.
“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,” Deputy Transportation Secretary Polly Trottenberg said. “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 to provide resilient highway infrastructure that is better able to withstand the effects of climate change.”
Acting Federal Highway Administrator Stephanie Pollack said 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. 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.”
BRIDGE PROJECTS RECEIVING FUNDS
Kodiak Island Borough, Alaska
The Kodiak Island Borough in Alaska will receive $1.28 million for the Kodiak Sargent Creek and Russian River Bridges Planning Study and other activities necessary to replace two bridges in this rural area.
Maricopa County, Arizona
Maricopa County in Arizona will receive $421,600 to plan for a new bridge over the Gila River and preserve the historic integrity of the current bridge for pedestrian and bike use. The new bridge will become the first component of a planned 39-mile long regional high-capacity roadway called the Hidden Waters.
Tehama County, California
Tehama County in California will receive $320,000 for a feasibility study to determine if the Woodson Bridge over the Sacramento River in Tehama County can be rehabilitated or if a new bridge must be constructed. The project will include life cycle cost analysis for both alternatives.
City of Colorado Springs
City of Colorado Springs in Colorado will receive $750,000 for a planning and environmental linkages study for two bridges on Fillmore Street over Monument Creek and Pikes Peak Greenway Trail and Union Pacific Railroad.
Connecticut DOT
The Connecticut Department of Transportation will receive $1 million for a study to develop and examine preliminary alternatives for replacing the Interstate 95 bridge near exits 7-9 through the City of Stamford.
Athens-Clarke County, Georgia
Athens-Clarke County in Georgia will receive $772,000 for a planning and feasibility study to rehabilitate six bridges within the county.
City of Iowa City, Iowa
The City of Iowa City will receive $300,000 to plan for bridge improvements over the Iowa River in downtown Iowa City. The plan would replace two existing bridges on Burlington Street and State Highway 1 with a single structure.
Gallatin County, Illinois
Gallatin County in Illinois will receive $48,000 for a planning study to replace the Peabody Road Bridge over the Saline River in Bowlesville Township in Gallatin County.
Lafourche Parish, Louisiana
Lafourche Parish in Louisiana will receive $60,000 for planning, feasibility analysis and revenue forecasting for development of a plan to replace a bridge (Old LA182) over Lafourche Bayou in Lafourche Parish.
Prince Georges County, Maryland
Prince Georges County in Maryland will receive $560,000 for a planning project to evaluate replacement of two bridges in poor condition: the Cherry Hill Road Bridge over Little Paint Branch and Campus Drive Bridge over Northeast Branch. The replacement project would bundle the bridges in a future construction project.
City of Excelsior, Minnesota
The City of Excelsior in partnership with the City of Greenwood in Minnesota will receive $269,600 to plan for improvements to the Minnetonka Boulevard Bridge over St. Alban’s Bay of Lake Minnetonka.
Flathead County, Montana
Flathead County in Montana will receive $240,000 for initial planning activities for 4 county bridges, including Dry Creek Bridge, Swift Creek Bridge, Baker Avenue Bridge, and Whitefish Stage Bridge.
City of Bellevue, Nebraska
The City of Bellevue, Nebraska, will receive $440,000 for a Planning and Environment Linkage (PEL) Study of Fort Crook Road Bridge over Papillion Creek, Keystone Trail, Offutt Airforce Base (Offutt) levee system, and the Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) mainline track.
Cape May County Bridge Commission
The Cape May County Bridge Commission will receive $1.98 million to determine preliminary preferred alternatives to replace 4 bridges (Townsend Inlet, Corson’s Inlet, Grassy Sound, and Great Channel). Two would be bundled into one large project and the remaining two would be advanced as individual bridge projects.
City of New York
The City of New York will receive $1.6 million for planning and development of a 30-year capital construction program for four iconic East River Bridges: Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bridge, Williamsburg Bridge and Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge.
Oklahoma DOT
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation will receive $957,300 for planning activities to support the bridge improvement of the Roosevelt Memorial Bridge (US-70) over Lake Texoma in Bryan and Marshall Counties.
Oregon DOT
The Oregon Department of Transportation will receive $1 million for the Hayden Island Ground Improvement Study for seismic analysis to support future project preliminary engineering work to replace the Interstate 5 Bridge over the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington State.
City of Philadelphia
The City of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania will receive $1.56 million for a planning and feasibility study to rehabilitate 18 bridges located over electrified rail lines primarily operated by Amtrak and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA).
South Carolina DOT
The South Carolina Department of Transportation will receive $720,000 to determine how to replace 12 rural bridges over the Great Pee Dee River floodplain, including various creeks and swamps, located in the northeast corner of South Carolina.
Hickman County, Tennessee
Hickman County, Tennessee, will receive $120,000 for a county wide planning program to perform feasibility analysis of 213 bridges throughout the county and determine which would be most in need of work.
City of Waco, Texas
The City of Waco, Texas, will receive $800,000 to model and develop alternatives for channel and bridge crossings for seven flood prone bridges over Primrose Creek in the City of Waco.
Utah DOT
The Utah Department of Transportation will receive $800,000 for a feasibility study to inspect and identify treatment needs for 40 bridges along a 31-mile stretch of I-84 in rural Utah.
City of Seattle
The City of Seattle will receive $2.4 million to plan for the replacement of the 4th Street Bridge over the Argo Railyard in the City of Seattle, following a previous seismic retrofit that identified costs were such that replacement was the best option.
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