Hampton Roads Regional Bridge Study

BRIDGE FUNDING 37
BRIDGE FUNDING
Similar to other aspects of transportation, funds for constructing and
maintaining bridges are limited. Funding for bridge projects comes from a
variety of federal, state, and local sources. In some cases tolls are also
used to fund bridge construction projects. This section details each of
these bridge funding sources.
FEDERAL BRIDGE FUNDING
On July 6, 2012, the new federal surface transportation funding and
authorization bill was signed into law. The Moving Ahead for Progress in
the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) will change how bridge rehabilitation and
reconstruction is funded on the federal level.
The primary federal program for funding bridge projects prior to MAP-21
was the Highway Bridge Program. This program, which was created by
Congress in 1978 as the Highway Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation
Program (HBRRP), provided dedicated funding to states to enable them to
improve the condition of highway bridges.
Recent federal funding for the Highway Bridge Program was determined
by the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A
Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) legislation. Between $4.6 and $6.0
billion was authorized each year to the Highway Bridge Program over the
life of SAFETEA-LU and its extensions. This includes the base
apportionment and additional apportionments provided to the Highway
Bridge Program from Equity Bonus Distributions, which are described
further later in this section.
Allocating federal bridge funds to each state was done through a complex
formula. The amount of Highway Bridge Program funding allocated from
the base apportionment to each state was determined by each state’s
relative share of the total costs to rehabilitate or replace all eligible
deficient bridges. Bridges are considered eligible for federal bridge
replacement funds if they are classified as structurally deficient or
functionally obsolete and have a sufficiency rating of less than 50.0, and
are considered eligible for federal bridge rehabilitation funds if they are
classified as structurally deficient or functionally obsolete and have a
sufficiency rating between 50.0 and 80.0. Bridges that have been
constructed or had a major rehabilitation within the last ten years,
however, are not eligible for Highway Bridge Program funds since they
cannot be classified as structurally deficient or functionally obsolete (the
Ten Year Rule).
Bridges eligible for federal funding throughout each state were divided
into one of four groups based on whether it was eligible for replacement
or rehabilitation and whether the bridge was on a federal-aid route, which
generally includes all roadways that are not classified as local or rural
minor collector roadways.
For each of these four bridge groups – federal-aid route eligible for
replacement, federal-aid route eligible for rehabilitation, non-federal-aid
route eligible for replacement, and non-federal-aid route eligible for
rehabilitation – the total deck area of all bridges throughout the state was
summed together and multiplied by the state’s three-year average unit
construction cost for each group. According to FHWA, Virginia’s average
unit cost for each group in Federal Fiscal Years (FFY) 2008 – 2010 was:
BRIDGE FUNDING SUMMARY
Highway Bridge Program funding apportioned
to the state of Virginia in 2012.
($113 million in 2007)
Virginia rank among the 50 states and D.C.
in terms of Highway Bridge Program
apportionments in 2012.
$134 million
15 th highest
of 51
Federal-aid route eligible for replacement – $187 per square foot
Federal-aid route eligible for rehabilitation – $127 per square
foot
HAMPTON James City/Williamsburg/York ROADS REGIONAL Transportation BRIDGE STUDY Study