The Local Highway Technical Assistance Council (LHTAC) is seeking proposals from qualified consulting firms to provide engineering, planning, and economic advisory services for stand-alone feasibility studies across seven (7) critical local bridges in Idaho. Selected consultants will deliver preliminary concept/TS&L reports, lifecycle maintenance schedules, environmental scans, and data collection worksheets to support LHTAC’s Cost-Benefit Analysis modeling. Contracts may be awarded for 1 to 7 bridges.

• Deadline for Questions: November 18, 2026
• Proposal Deadline: November 20, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. MST
• Request for Proposal
• Application reference file
• Submission Details: Maximum 6 pages (single PDF) emailed to sbridge@lhtac.org, CC: kkanownik@lhtac.org
• Contact: Ken Kanownik | sbridge@lhtac.org | (208) 344-0565

Frequently Asked Questions

• Highway-rail grade crossing improvement projects;
• Any project necessary to enhance multimodal connections or facilitate service integration between rail service and other modes;
• Deployment of railroad safety technology;

The CRISI program requires a 20% local match and projects will be evaluated based on project readiness and technical merit.  Previous successful awards in Idaho have been projects that have eliminated private rail crossings, crossing/signal upgrades and rail realignment reducing highway closures.

Interested applicants can contact Ken Kanownik, kkanownik@LHTAC.org for technical assistance and additional information.

Register online by clicking here. A join link will be emailed to you.

Open Solicitations

To view the Open Solicitations, visit our Bids and Solicitations page under Programs here.  

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE JULY DISBURSEMENTS

During the past two legislative sessions, the Governor and Idaho Legislature dedicated non-user revenue towards road and bridge projects. In 2021, House Bill 362 dedicated 4.5% of sales tax collections towards transportation; the first $80M to ITD and anything above that to local jurisdictions through the Highway Distribution Account formula. For FY22 the local share is estimated to be around $25M.

In 2022, the Governor requested and the Legislature approved $200M to road and bridge maintenance, to be split 60% to ITD, 40% through the Highway Distribution Account formula. This additional funding came from surplus FY22 funds.

Both of these payments will be made in July 2022. Please see the attached spreadsheet to see the total amount your jurisdiction is scheduled to receive in July. Please note that, unlike previous funding increases, there is no special reporting for these funds. However, each LHJ should be able to report/account for how these additional funds were spent.

Read Gov. Little’s signing announcement here.

The largest portion of the funding is for the Leading Idaho Local Bridge (LILB) Program. This program funds the repair or replacement of bridges greater that 20 feet long in poor condition or posted for load weight restriction. The Local Highway Technical Assistance Council will administer this program. The goal of this year’s one-time funding from SB1359 is to address one-third of the 428 bridges currently qualifying for this program.

LHTAC has created a map of LILB-eligible bridges. You can view those bridges online by clicking the link below.

LILB-eligible bridges

“LHTAC staff have been gearing up for several months to get this funding out on the streets if and when it became a reality,” said LHTAC Administrator Laila Kral. “We are finalizing the application for local highway jurisdictions to participate in the LILB program. It will be very simple in an effort to reduce any barriers for our partner agencies, which should have no issues completing it with their existing staff.”

The bill also provides a fresh $10 million for the Children Pedestrian Safety Program. This program was highlighted in our Spring newsletter, which you can read here.

The LHTAC Council will consider approval of the LILB application within the next month. Upon approval, LHTAC will send applications to each jurisdiction with a qualifying bridge.

“I want to thank Governor Little, the Legislature, and our local highway jurisdictions for their support for this bill,” said Kral. “This historic investment in our local road network will go a long way in keeping Idaho’s economy rolling. I look forward to working with our local partners and the contracting community to put this money to work for the people of Idaho.”

Highlights:

• Historic Local Bridge Funding
• Road Scholar and Road Master recipients
• LHTAC’s Focus on Pedestrian Projects
• Local Bridge Bundle Heads to Construction

Leading Idaho Local Bridge Program

The biggest portion of that funding is dedicated to repair or replace local bridges. The program will be called the Leading Idaho Local Bridge Program (LILBP). The goal is to address one-third of the 428 local bridges in poor condition or posted for load weight limits.

Click here for a map of poor and/or posted bridges

LHTAC is developing the application for the Program. The selection process will be primarily driven by data collected through bridge inspection reports. These reports are generated by ITD or its approved inspectors following certified national standards. In the application, cities will be asked what the impact of repairing or replacing a bridge will have for their community.

The goal of the application is to be transparent and simple enough that Local Highway Jurisdictions can complete the application with their own resources and staff.

Child Pedestrian Safety Program

The bill also allocates $10 million for the Children Pedestrian Safety Program. This program funds improvements for children pedestrian projects, which typically include sidewalk, pathways, or improved crosswalks near schools. LHTAC announced the recipients of the FY21 CPS funding last month.

LHTAC will announce the process for applying and receiving this additional funding later this year.

• American Falls, Bannock Sidewalk Improvements
• Horseshoe Bend, Child Pedestrian Sidewalk and Safe Crossing Project
• Athol, SH-54 RRFBs & Menser Ave. Sidewalk
• Moscow, Mountain View Corridor
• Clark Fork, N. Main Street Sidewalk Projects
• Inkom, Rapid Creek/Roosevelt Sidewalk
• Fruitland, S. Iowa Ave, SW 3rd St. to SW 7th St.

The $2 million funding for these projects come from a state budget surplus in fiscal year 2021. The Legislature approved the funding with House Bill 308, which Governor Little signed on March 23, 2021.

Click here for a full list of projects approved for funding and unfunded applications

 Future CPS funding proposed

Governor Brad Little’s 2022 budget proposal includes one-time funds of $10 million for children pedestrian safety (CPS) projects. This is one part of the governor’s Leading Idaho with Transportation plan.

JFAC unanimously supported the funds on Friday, February 18th. In the coming weeks a bill will be drafted for legislative consideration that will include the $10 million CPS funding.

Gov. Little’s Leading Idaho proposal also includes $200 million one-time funds for local bridge repair and replacement.

The Idaho Office of Emergency Management (IOEM) announces the availability of Federal Emergency Management funds for natural hazard mitigation projects.

Pre-Applications due November 1, 2021
Applications due April 1, 2022

See the announcement letter for details.

The goal of this funding is to help communities become more resilient with emphasis on projects that address climate change and promote equitable outcomes in underserved communities. Project may include:

• The use of nature-based features, such as storm water parks, rain gardens, & streambank & wetland restoration to reduce erosion or flooding.
• The creation of buffers to decrease spread of approaching wildfires using fire resistant construction materials.
• Retrofitting or relocating critical utilities outside of high-risk areas.

This HMGP grant funding is a 75% federal share & a local required match of 25%.

Pre-application can be found on the IOEM Mitigation Dashboard at:
https://ioem.idaho.gov/preparedness-and-protection/mitigation/mitigation-grant-pre-application/