ARTBA Reports $15 Billion Committed Through Bridge Formula Program as Needs Remain

According to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association’s (ARTBA) anlaysis of federal data, bridges continue to be a focus for state highway programs, with over 27,000 structures being repaired or replaced using federal dollars. States are able to leverage their core highway program funds, discretionary grants, and the new bridge formula program to support these investments.

Under the bridge formula program, states have access to the full $26.5 billion available over the five-year period. Unlike the core highway program, agencies have four years to commit these funds toward eligible projects. As of December 2025, states have committed $15 billion towards over 7,350 projects, nearly 57 percent of available funds. As projects get underway, states have been reimbursed for $8.5 billion in work completed. Thirteen states have committed 75 percent or more of their funds.

While the 2021 infrastructure law provides investment, one in three bridges still need repair or replacement. Congress has the opportunity to build on this recent momentum in the next surface transportation reauthorization bill due September 30, 2026.

For more information on how states are using their federal aid highway funds, visit the ARTBA Highway Dashboard.

Bridge Owners Look to Steel for Answers

To address the high number of structurally deficient structures, bridge owners and designers are looking to steel to fix our nation’s infrastructures. Why steel?

• Due to the light weight of steel, cost savings can be significant by using smaller abutments, local crews, and lighter equipment.
  • Learn how Whitman County, Washington saved 32 percent by using steel for a bridge replacement project.
• Steel can compete and save costs when compared with nearly identical concrete structures.
  • Learn how Audrain County, Missouri saved 19 percent by using steel in a side-by-side comparison of a steel versus concrete bridge.
• Steel bridges also have long lives, decreasing the need for replacement.
  • Learn about the innovative press-brake tub girder system – it has a life expediency of over 100 years, with the first 60 of those years being maintenance-free.
• Steel bridges can be designed with prefabricated elements which provide a simpler installation and time savings.
  • Learn how a prefabricated steel truss bridge was quickly erected to reconnect a community decimated after the Woolsey fire that swept through the Santa Monica Mountains.
• Habitat protection and environmental enhancements are major benefits of using buried steel bridges.
  •  Learn how a buried steel bridge provided a natural pathway for fish to spawn in Idaho.
• Steel is the world’s most recycled material and is infinitely recyclable, so it can be repurposed from one bridge project to another.
  • Learn how Muskingum County, Ohio saved $51,000 in superstructure costs by repurposing steel beam for the replacement of the Green Valley Road Bridge.

Want to Learn How You Can Save With Steel?

The SSSBA is offering complimentary customized educational guest speakers/webinars and workshops (on-site or virtual) specifically for county engineers, state DOTs, and design firms. The webinars/workshops are taught by industry experts with decades of experience in the cost-effective design and construction of short span bridges.

For more information or to customize a workshop for your organization, please contact:

• Dan Snyder (Director of the SSSBA) at dsnyder@steel.org or 301-367-6179.
• Michael Barker (University of Wyoming & SSSBA Director of Education) at barker@uwyo.edu