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The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) recently issued a notice of funding opportunity or NOFO for up to $9.6 billion in fiscal year 2023 through FY 2026 Bridge Project grants and $80 million in FY 2023 through FY 2026 Bridge Planning Project grants. Those two measures are funded by the FHWA’s Bridge Investment Program, which is a discretionary grant initiative focused on the replacement, rehabilitation, preservation and protection of existing bridges across the country.
Authorized under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the agency noted that $40 billion in grant funding is available through the Bridge Investment Program over a five-year period 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; and strengthen the nation’s supply chains.
“With [this] funding … communities can plan and implement bridge projects that will improve safety and mobility for people in rural regions, urban areas, and places in between,” noted FHWA Administrator Shailen Bhatt in a statement. “The Bridge Investment Program has already funded nearly 40 bridge projects nationwide and this funding will help communities continue to plan and advance important bridge projects in the years ahead.”
The agency added that its Bridge Investment Program NOFO is soliciting applications for the following categories of projects:
“Planning” grants for planning, feasibility analyses, and revenue forecasting associated with the development of a project; and,
“Bridge Project” grants for bridge replacement, rehabilitation, preservation, and protection projects with total eligible costs of $100 million or less.
FHWA said it plans to conduct outreach regarding the Bridge Investment Program “Planning” and “Bridge Project” grants via webinars, with technical assistance also available to recipients who receive grants from that program.
In October 2023, FHWA opened the application window for nearly $10 billion in “Large Bridge Project” grant funding for FY 2023 through FY 2026; a program that provides funds for bridge projects with a more than $100 million price tag.
In January 2023, FHWA issued $2.1 billion in funds from its Bridge Investment Program to cover the planning and construction costs of 37 bridge projects in 29 states across the country. The agency followed that with a more than $300 million disbursement to nine small and medium-sized bridge projects in both rural and urban areas of eight states and the District of Columbia in April 2023. Learn more about the FHWA here.