Federal Bridge Program
Federal Bridge Program
The bridge program provides funds for the replacement or rehabilitation of bridges. This program has a limit for each entity of one project application per year, and LHTAC continues to take applications for Bridge Replacement Projects on the local highway system year around. However, the bridge project will not be included in the STIP until the following summer. In order to qualify for Bridge Replacement funds, it must meet all four of the following criteria:
1. Must be in the National Bridge Inventory (NBI) Database, which requires that the bridge be longer than 20 feet and that it must carry a public road.
2. The bridge must have a sufficiency rating of less than 50 for replacement. This is the number shown on your Annual Bridge Inspection Reports.
3. The bridge must be classified as either structurally deficient and functionally obsolete.
4. If the sufficiency rating is less than 75, bridge funds may be used for rehabilitation.
The Idaho Transportation Board makes 35 percent of the Bridge funds available to use on local (non-state highway) bridges. Presently, there is approximately $5 million in the “On-System” Program and $3.8 million in the “Off-System” Program with a 7.34 percent local match.
On the local highway system in Idaho, we have more than 240 bridges that qualify under this definition. If you are an entity that has a bridge that meets all of the above criteria, we encourage you download the 2012 bridge application by clicking on the link at the bottom of this page.
For more information contact Jerry Flatz, P.E., LHTAC Federal Aid Manager, 1-800-259-6841, (208) 344-0565, email jflatz@lhtac.org.