Bridges

Managing Bridge Assets to Strengthen Our Nation’s Infrastructure

Safe, efficient, and effective bridges are essential to healthy communities. The IIJA provides significant federal funding to preserve, repair, and support our aging bridges, including the Bridge Formula Program (BFP) and the Bridge Investment Program (BIP).

The Bridge Formula Program is a formula-based federal program that includes $40 billion to be distributed to states to replace, rehabilitate, preserve, protect, and construct highway bridges. It also includes dedicated funding for Tribal bridges and those not part of the federal-aid highway system.

Funding is also available through the Bridge Investment Program, a competitivebased program that will invest $12.5 billion over five years through competitive grants to repair bridges in poor condition.

The Bridge Investment Program consists of three types of grants—Planning Grants, Bridge Project Grants, and Large Bridge Project Grants for replacing, rehabilitating, preserving, or protecting a bridge or bridges if bundled together in poor condition. It provides $12.5 billion dedicated to improving the condition of our nation’s aging bridges, including planning grants for projects in early phases of project development, large bridge project grants greater than $100 million, and bridge project grants of $100 million or less. It allows multi-year grant agreements, allowing large projects from pre-construction into construction phases and funding for the planning process.

A significant portion of the IIJA is devoted to addressing our aging infrastructure.

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, a highway building boom took place with the development of the Interstate System and the modernization of state highways and local roads. With a typical service life of 75 years, many of these bridges need to be replaced, rehabilitated, or preserved, and this funding will allow us to address these critical needs.

Accelerated Bridge Construction or ABC is an innovative method of construction where a bridge is temporarily closed for as little as two days rather than many months. ABC focuses on increasing the speed of construction and reducing the impact of a closure on the traveling public.

CR 661 Blackhall Road Over Rum Creek | GDOT

CHA implemented ABC solutions for a durable prestressed concrete superstructure, reducing the impact to the traveling public from years to weeks.

Route 4 Bridge over Lafayette Road Replacement | RIDOT

CHA developed ABC techniques for the rapid superstructure replacement of the Route 4 NB and SB bridges in two weekends using the Lateral Slide Method.

Commonwealth Avenue Bridge Replacement | MassDOT

CHA developed a phased-construction plan including ABC techniques to minimize the overall impacts to the public to just two short construction windows.