Summary:
- The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced on Wednesday that it has awarded over $26.5 million in bridge planning grants to more than 24 projects across the country.
- These grants are designed to help states develop a pipeline of projects that can qualify for federal construction funding, according to Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt in an interview with Trucking Dive on Wednesday.
- “Bridge projects can be quite complex,” Bhatt said. “They often involve significant environmental considerations, so we want to give states a head start in preparing these projects to ensure they are eligible for future funding.”
Top 10 Bridge Planning Grants
Details on funding, recipients, and project purposes:
| Amount | Recipient | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| $2.3 million | Minnesota | Developing strategic asset management plans for seven high-priority bridges on the Trunk Highway System. |
| $2 million | Texas | Determining preferred alternatives for bridge design and rehabilitation of nine bridges over the Buffalo Bayou in Houston. |
| $2 million | Alaska | Conducting planning and environmental linkage studies for four critical bridges along the Dalton Highway and Koyukuk River drainage corridor. |
| $1.7 million | Georgia & S. Carolina | Performing a planning and environmental linkages study of a 2.5-mile segment on the Interstate 85 corridor to assess replacement or rehabilitation of six rural bridges. |
| $1.7 million | Florida | Studying 11 water crossing bridges to determine the most effective approach, whether to repair or replace them. |
| $1.6 million | Kansas | Exploring options through a planning and environmental linkages study for a 5.5-mile segment known as the “Canal Route” on Interstate 135 and the surrounding transportation network in Wichita. |
| $1.6 million | Maryland | Conducting a planning and environmental linkages study for the Interstate 68 Viaduct in Cumberland. |
| $1.6 million | New York | Analyzing the Grand Island Bridges to assess the current and future needs of the regional transportation network. |
| $1.5 million | Oklahoma | Undertaking a planning and environmental linkages study for the full reconstruction of six bridges in West Oklahoma City. |
| $1.1 million | Washington | Planning the upgrade of the only crossing connecting Bothell’s downtown core to communities south of the Sammamish River. |