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Public comment period open

The docket for the Bridge Investment Program closes October 1. Read the notice and comment.

Example Agency

Grants and funding

Bridge Investment Program

Competitive grants to replace, rehabilitate and preserve bridges in poor or fair condition.

Overview

The Bridge Investment Program awards up to $2.4 billion this year to replace, rehabilitate and preserve bridges in poor condition, with a set-aside for bridges owned by counties, tribes and small towns.

Since 2022 the program has funded work on 617 bridges in 48 states. Awards are competitive; the evaluation weighs the condition of the bridge, the traffic it carries, the cost of the detour when it is closed, and how ready the applicant is to start construction.

Eligibility

States, metropolitan planning organizations, local governments, tribal governments and federal land management agencies may apply. Read the full eligibility list before you start. Applicants must own or operate the bridge, or hold a written agreement with the owner.

Who can apply

  • State departments of transportation
  • Metropolitan planning organizations
  • Units of local government, including counties and special districts
  • Federally recognized tribal governments
  • Federal land management agencies, on their own or with a state

What is funded

  • Replacement of a bridge rated in poor condition
  • Rehabilitation that returns a bridge to fair or good condition
    • Deck replacement and superstructure repair
    • Scour countermeasures and seismic retrofit
  • Protection of a bridge in fair condition from falling to poor

A bridge that is closed is not a transportation asset. It is a detour, and the detour is paid for every day by the people who live on the wrong side of it.

Office of Highways, condition report, 2025

How condition is rated

Inspectors rate the deck, superstructure and substructure on a 0 to 9 scale; the lowest of the three sets the bridge's condition. A rating of 4 or below is poor (23 CFR 490.409).

Figure 1. Bridges on the National Bridge Inventory by condition, 2025. Stand-in image.
Awards by applicant type, fiscal year 2025
ApplicantAwardsFederal share
State agency41$1.6B
County or city27$0.5B
Tribal government9$0.3B

How to apply

  1. Register in SAM.gov and Grants.gov. Registration can take four weeks.
  2. Download the notice and the application template below.
  3. Submit through Grants.gov using the opportunity number EXA-HWY-BIP-2026 before 11:59 p.m. Eastern on October 1, 2026.

Deadlines

Notice published
August 1, 2026
Questions close
September 15, 2026
Applications due
October 1, 2026
Awards announced
Spring 2027

Last updated August 23, 2026. Questions to the program office.

Questions about the program

Who is eligible to apply?
State departments of transportation, metropolitan planning organizations, tribal governments, and units of local government that own or operate the bridge.
When does the application window close?
Applications are due 11:59 p.m. Eastern on October 1, 2026. Late submissions are not reviewed.
Can I edit an application after submitting?
No. Withdraw and resubmit before the deadline.
Is there a match requirement?
The federal share is 50 percent for large projects and 80 percent for projects under $100 million. Off-system bridges owned by a county or tribe may be funded at up to 100 percent.

References6 sources

  1. 123 CFR 650 Subpart C, National Bridge Inspection Standards (2022).

    Sets the 24-month routine inspection interval and the conditions under which Highway Office may approve a longer one.

    “Routine inspections must be performed at regular intervals not to exceed 24 months.”
    https://www.fhwa.agency.example/bridge/
  2. 2Highway Office, Bridge Investment Program notice of funding opportunity, FY 2026.

    The governing notice: eligibility, cost share, evaluation criteria and the submission deadline.

    “Applications are due 11:59 p.m. Eastern on October 1, 2026.”
    https://www.fhwa.agency.example/bridge/
  3. 3Pub. L. No. 117-58, § 11118, 135 Stat. 429 (2021).

    The statute that created the program and authorized its five-year funding.

    “There is authorized to be appropriated $12.5 billion for fiscal years 2022 through 2026.”
    https://www.fhwa.agency.example/bridge/
  1. 4Highway Office, National Bridge Inventory condition summary, 2025.

    Counts of bridges in good, fair and poor condition by owner and state.

    “42,067 bridges were rated in poor condition at the close of 2025.”
    https://www.fhwa.agency.example/bridge/
  2. 5GAO-24-106329, Bridge Condition and Federal Oversight (2024).

    Findings on inspection quality and the consistency of condition ratings across states.

    “Rating practices varied materially between adjoining states.”
    https://www.fhwa.agency.example/bridge/
  3. 623 CFR 490.409, Bridge condition measures (2017).

    Defines the 0 to 9 rating scale and the threshold for a poor rating.

    “A rating of 4 or below on any component is poor.”
    https://www.fhwa.agency.example/bridge/