The U.S. Department of Transportation announced the first recipients of the Competitive Highway Bridge Program.
The program, created through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018, sets aside $225 million to fund bridge improvement and replacement projects in rural areas. Some 20 projects represented by 18 state departments of transportation have received funding.
Bridge Replacements in Tallahatchie, Yalobusha and Attala Counties are on the list totaling 10 million in grant funds. The funds will be used to improve the condition of four bridges in poor condition. This project will improve the overall condition of transportation infrastructure and maintain access to life services for residents along with benefiting the region’s economic activities by improving access to rural Mississippi.
In order to qualify for funding through the program, states must have population densities of fewer than 100 people per square-mile based on Census Bureau data. Twenty-five states met these qualifications.
“The projects funded under the program will serve as models for similar bridge improvement projects throughout the nation,” said Federal Highway Administrator Nicole Nason. “They are examples of how to achieve time and cost savings through innovation.”
