The Federal Highway Administration announced its new Bridge Formula Program on Thursday, which dedicates $26.5 billion to states for bridge investments, including $225 million to fix hundreds of bridges in Colorado.
The U.S. Department of Transportation launched the program — which has the full name: Bridge Replacement, Rehabilitation, Preservation, Protection, and Construction Program — on Friday as part of President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) will administer the program countrywide. The $26.6 billion will help states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico over the next five years. About $825 million has been dedicated to Tribal transportation facilities as well.
Deputy Federal Highway Administrator Stephanie Pollack explained that this investment will help "modernize bridges to withstand the effects of climate change and to make them safer for all users, including cyclists and pedestrians."
The program will help repair an estimated 15,000 bridges across the country.
The state of Colorado will receive $225 million to improve the conditions of 481 bridges listed in "poor" condition and to preserve more than 5,000 bridges in "fair" condition, according to the FHWA.
“These federal dollars represent the strong first step towards putting Coloradans to work building and rebuilding the bridges that drive our local economies,” said Colorado Congressman Joe Neguse, who represents the 2nd congressional district and encompasses much of Denver's northwestern suburbs. “Northern Colorado communities want to know that they can rely on their highways, roads and bridges, and they want assurances that their safety will always be prioritized. With the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we will not only help keep travelers safe, but really cut down on commute times and help small businesses get goods to market. I look forward to seeing more of this tangible impact of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in communities across Colorado.”
The Colorado Department of Transportation said it estimates that about $35 million of those funds will help with bridge work on local roads that are not part of the state system CDOT manages. CDOT will work with local entities in those cases. The remaining funds that come to the state will pay for the replacement of eligible bridges that are part of projects in CDOT's 10 Year Vision Plan.
The interactive map below details the latest information from the FHWA on where the "poor" bridges are located. (Note: A few bridges are in and around the Central 70 Project are noted here, but may have been updated after the FHWA put this list together)
