Federal highway authorities unveiled funding of $635 million on Thursday aimed at the repair or replacement of numerous aging bridges across the United States, from Alaska to Maine, including several located within popular national parks.
These grants will benefit over 70 small to medium-sized bridges in 19 states and represent the most recent wave of funding stemming from a $1.2 trillion infrastructure law enacted by President Joe Biden in 2021. This legislation allocates $40 billion specifically to bridge repairs over a period of five years, marking the most significant investment in bridges in decades.
Maine stands to gain the largest share of this funding, with nearly $133 million earmarked for the repair of a dozen bridges along Interstate 95 and Interstate 395. According to the Federal Highway Administration, at least one bridge on I-95 is in poor condition, while the others are likely to deteriorate quickly and currently do not meet the height requirements for taller vehicles to pass beneath them.
In Alaska, things are looking up as more than $13 million is designated to replace the Ghiglione Bridge situated in Denali National Park and Preserve. This bridge does not meet modern earthquake safety standards and is located near a troubling landslide area, made worse by climate change, which has led park officials to limit public access to the road.
Wyoming will receive approximately $23 million for the restoration of an 85-year-old bridge standing 200 feet high that spans the Gardner River in Yellowstone National Park. This bridge is not only crucial for vehicular traffic but also for the movement of wildlife, including buffalo. The Federal Highway Administration warned that without necessary repairs, the bridge could be forced to shut down within five years. Local congressional representatives highlighted in a letter last year that the rehabilitation could extend the bridge’s service life by an estimated 30 years.
This latest funding announcement follows a previous commitment of $5 billion announced by Biden’s administration for large-scale bridge projects in July. However, this still falls considerably short of the $400 billion estimated by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association needed for essential nationwide bridge repairs.
Currently, around 42,000 bridges in the United States are deemed to be in poor condition, and roughly 80% of these exhibit problems with their supporting substructures or superstructures based on an analysis of the latest federal data. Earlier this year, it was noted that more than 15,000 bridges identified as being in poor condition had similar issues a decade ago.
Among the bridges flagged as needing attention is the nearly mile-long U.S. 49 bridge over the Mississippi River, connecting Helena, Arkansas, with Lula, Mississippi. A grant of nearly $44 million is expected to extend its operational lifespan by several decades, while transportation authorities work on planning a new bridge better suited to the area’s seismic risks.
Other bridges facing repairs include a century-old bridge on Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis and another in Trenton, New Jersey, that facilitates vehicle movement over an Amtrak rail line.
Some of the funding will target collections of bridges, such as over $67 million allocated for the replacement of 13 bridges in central Mississippi and nearly $40 million for nine bridges in Kansas City, Missouri.
Additional projects receiving grant funding include bridges in states such as Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Texas.
