Background
On November 15, 2021, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)
(Public Law 117-58) was signed into law, providing $550 billion
in new federal infrastructure funds through 2026. The investment
provides opportunities for development of transportation, power,
and water infrastructure. The bipartisan infrastructure law will
support the U.S. economy at federal, state, and local levels by
leveraging the investments by state and local governments to expand
clean water initiatives, internet access, transportation options
and safety, environmental sustainability, and economic development
across the country.
National Bridge Investment Program
A Notice of Funding Opportunity was released by
the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway
Administration this month for the Bridge Investment Program (BIP). The largest
national bridge investment since the Interstate Highway
System's construction, the BIP provides $2.36 billion in Fiscal
Year 2022 ($12.5 billion over five years) that will support
operation of the nation's bridges through repair,
rehabilitation, protection, replacement, and preventative upkeep.
Federal funding will be directly available to recipients at all
levels of government.
Grant and Application Specifics
Grants provided through the BIP will be multi-year grant agreements
to take projects through pre-construction and launch them into
construction. Application access is available to counties directly
through the USDOPT, along with the ability to include multiple
bridge projects in one application. Applications fall into three
funding categories: planning, large bridge projects, and bridge
projects. Planning applications, due July 25, 2022, provide grants
specific to the planning process and enable revenue forecasting and
analysis necessary to the development of a project eligible for the
BIP. Planning grants allow projects in the opening stages of
development to be eligible for BIP funding. Large bridge project
applications are due August 9, 2022, and are available to projects
with eligible costs over $100 million. Projects with eligible costs
less than $100 million fall under bridge project applications,
which are due on September 8, 2022.
Significance of Local Impact
Direct funding to local government entities is a vital aspect of
the BIP, as nearly half of the nation's bridge inventory is
county-owned. Four out of every ten bridges on the National Bridge
Inventory, and most off-system bridges, compose the county-owned
population of the nation's bridges. Federal bridge investment
funding flowing directly to local entities will make bridge
protection, rehabilitation, and preventative maintenance projects
possible so that transportation safety, supply chains, and economic
development improvements will be seen at the local and state
level.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.