ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Larry Hogan has announced the awarding of $9.6 million through a new funding category in the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to rehabilitate or replace fair to poorly rated county-maintained bridges around the state. These limited federal funds require no local government dollars.

“Our administration has delivered on promises to all Maryland counties to restore highway user revenue at historic levels and advocate on behalf of local governments to the federal government to provide funding for critical infrastructure,” said Governor Hogan. “These federal funds will help local governments fulfill critical infrastructure needs.”

The six bridges awarded funding are located within county road systems in Maryland – not the state highway system. There are more than 5,200 bridges throughout the state, and the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) maintains more than half. The remaining are on local government roads. The state has been authorized by the federal government to distribute these new funds to county transportation departments. MDOT SHA reviewed the applications for IIJA eligibility and rated them. These projects are ready to move to active construction.

“MDOT is an active partner with our counties and jurisdictions throughout Maryland to maintain, rehabilitate and replace aging infrastructure,” said MDOT Secretary James F. Ports, Jr. “The projects supported by these new grants represent collaboration and teamwork at the state, local and federal levels to improve the lives of all Marylanders.”

The following projects have been selected to receive this year’s allotment of the 100% funding award:

• Allegany County – rehabilitation of the Old Mount Pleasant Road Bridge over Evitts Creek and the Mason Road Bridge over Evitts Creek ($2 million),
• Anne Arundel County – replacement of the McKendree Road Bridge over Lyons Creek ($1.5 million),
• Frederick County – replacement of the Hornets Nest Bridge over Friends Creek ($2.6 million),
• Howard County – replacement of the Daisy Road Bridge over Little Cattail Creek ($1.1 million), and
• Prince George’s County – replacement of the Molly Berry Road Bridge over a tributary to Mataponi Creek ($2.4 million).

“These highly sought federal grants represent our ongoing commitment to our local partners to maintain a safe and reliable highway system,” said MDOT SHA Administrator Tim Smith. “Sound infrastructure throughout the state helps to provide safe and continuous connectivity for motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists.”

The new federal grants are one element of Maryland’s overall strategy to address bridge infrastructure and maintain a state of good repair on bridges across the state. Maryland’s Local Bridge Program, which allocates funding to counties and local jurisdictions for design and construction through a formula of 80% federal funding and a 20% local match, provides more than $20 million annually.

In 2015, Governor Hogan invested significant funding to improve Maryland’s highways and poorly rated bridges. Of the 69 poorly rated bridges identified in 2015, MDOT SHA has repaired or replaced all of them. As of March, Maryland had only 26 bridges rated as poor, one of the lowest numbers for any state in the nation. All of these bridges are now under construction, funded for construction or in design.

Photo by Taras Makarenko from Pexels