FHWA Announces Bridge Grants, Steel Industry Has Capacity to Meet Demand

Excerpts from U.S. Department of Transportation

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced the first round of Large Bridge Project Grants from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s competitive Bridge Investment Program.

This program is one piece of the Administration’s largest dedicated investment in highway bridges since the construction of the Interstate highway system, with nearly $40 billion over five years that will help repair or rebuild ten of the most economically significant bridges in the country along with thousands of bridges across the country. The first large bridge project grants, awarded in Fiscal Year 2022, are as follows:

• Brent Spence Bridge (Kentucky)
• Golden Gate Bridge (California)
• Gold Star Memorial Bridge (Connecticut)
• Calumet River Bridges (Illinois)

“Safe, modern bridges ensure that first responders can get to calls more quickly, shipments reach businesses on time, and drivers can get to where they need to go,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “The Biden-Harris Administration is proud to award this historic funding to modernize large bridges that are not only pillars of our economy, but also iconic symbols of their states’ past and future.”

American Steel Mills and Fabricators have Capacity to Meet Demand

American steel mills and fabricators have the capacity to meet the current demand for steel and future demand expected from funding allocated through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Steel can compete and save costs when compared with nearly identical concrete structures due to its light weight and – in the case of short span bridges – by using smaller abutments, local crews and lighter equipment. Steel bridges can be designed with prefabricated elements which provide simpler installation and time savings.

In addition, steel is the best choice as a sustainable solution, since it is the world’s most recycled material and can be continuously recycled without losing its strength. And American steel is cleaner and more sustainable than steel made in other leading steel-producing countries.

The American steel industry is the cleanest and most energy-efficient of the leading steel industries in the world. 

Infrastructure Law Includes Incentive for Off-System Bridges

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law also includes an incentive for states to direct the new Bridge Formula Program funds to off-system bridges owned by a county, city, town or other local agency.

While states generally must match federal funding with up to 20 percent state or local funding, the guidance issued notes that federal funds can be used for 100 percent of the cost of repairing or rehabilitating such locally owned off-system bridges.

There are a total of 281,184 off-system bridges in the United States, according to the National Association of Counties, defined as bridges that are located on a public road that are not part of the federal-aid highway system.

Clarence Anthony, National League of Cities CEO and executive director, said of off-system bridges, “This is simply amazing news for smaller rural communities, places that have been hit hard economically.”

Whitman County, Washington, saved 32 percent over concrete by using a steel superstructure for this off system project.