Local Bridge Program
In Connecticut, there are approximately 4,200 bridges and culverts on municipally maintained roads. Construction and maintenance of these expensive structures is the responsibility of the cities and towns who own them. Recognizing the difficulty that municipalities have in meeting this responsibility, the General Assembly created the Local Bridge Program in 1984 as part of the State’s Infrastructure Renewal Program. This program provides for State grants to municipalities for the removal, replacement, reconstruction or rehabilitation of local bridges. For more details of the program, please refer to the Local Bridge Program Manuals below. The Manuals contain information explaining how bridges are rated, an overview of funding programs, an outline of the typical project's progress, environmental permit guidance, guidelines for obtaining funding, and a summary of laws related to municipal bridges. Older versions are provided on a separate page for reference on projects initiated in prior fiscal years.
Federal funding has been made available for municipal bridge projects whenever possible, and is still available for a limited number of new projects. See the links below for a list of eligible bridges and application forms.
FUNDING APPLICATION WINDOW NEWS
The funding window for FY 2020 State grants under the STATE Local Bridge Program is yet to be determined, pending legislative funding allocation. Applications received in the meantime will be shelved and considered when the funding window is announced. Municipalities are encouraged to submit applications to address issues affecting their eligible bridges in the meantime. Further announcements, including funding allocated by the legislature for FY 2020, will be posted here. Applications for emergency funding can be submitted at any time.
Applications for FEDERAL Local Bridge Program funding may be submitted at any time.
PROGRAM NEWS
P.A. 16-151 - SIGNED INTO LAW
Legislation includes change of the grant rate to 50% for all municipalities, and extends eligibility to bridges that are not currently structurally deficient, but have other issues. These include bridges that are functionally obsolete or scour critical, or bridges that could benefit from minor repairs to extend their useful life. The changes will take effect on 7/1/2016 and the grant rate for FY 2017 projects will be 50%. The Program Regulations will be revised for FY 2018 application criteria for bridges that are not yet structurally deficient.
P.A. 15-5 - SIGNED INTO LAW
Legislation which includes set-aside requirement for Municipal Public Works Contracts, which affects State Local Bridge Program projects advertised for construction on or after October 1, 2015.
The Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO) has been tasked with overseeing and regulating compliance with the respective Small Business and Minority Business Enterprises (SBE and MBE) set-aside requirement. However, the burden of compliance and reporting will fall on the contractor.
The municipality’s role is to follow CHRO’s guidance in terms of specific language that must be incorporated into bid solicitation and contract award documents.
For information and documents regarding this legislation and compliance procedures, please contact CHRO’s Contract Compliance and Affirmative Action Unit by calling (860) 541-3434 or by visiting webpage www.ct.gov/chro.
Bridge Inspection Reports Available Through ProjectWise: Current bridge inspection reports for NBI bridges are now available to prequalified consultants and municipalities through ProjectWise. Please see the
Bridge Inspection Reportspage for more information.
FHWA Video Library! The FHWA has a new resource called Federal-aid Essentials for Local Public Agencies. This resource puts key information about Federal-aid requirements on a single Web site at www.fhwa.dot.gov/federal-aidessentials. Local agencies now have a centralized hub for guidance, policies, procedures, and best practices for administering Federal-aid projects. The Web site’s main feature is a library of videos covering key aspects of the project development and delivery process.
Applications for Federally-Funded Local Bridge Projects Accepted: The Department is continuing to accept applications for new Federal Local Bridge Program projects. Applications may be submitted at any time - there is no deadline. In the event that applications received exceed the available funding, a cut-off date will be established and applications prioritized. Municipalities must be prepared to cover 20% of all project costs, including ConnDOT District oversight personnel. Approval of applications may be delayed while funding changes under MAP-21 are sorted-out.
Local Bridge Program on Twitter: The Local Bridge Program is posting news updates via Twitter as CT_Local_Bridge (http://twitter.com/CT_Local_Bridge; via SMS by texting follow CT_Local_Bridge to 40404) . Twitter posts may be suspended periodically as social media policies evolve.
Note to Consulting Engineers working on Local Bridge Program Projects: All contact with ConnDOT support units, such as, but not limited to, Environmental Planning and Hydraulics & Drainage, must be made through the ConnDOT LBP Project Engineer. Failure to follow this procedure will result in lost documents and delays!
OFFICE CONTACTS
Program Manager: Priti S. Bhardwaj, P.E., Transportation Supervising Engineer.
Requests for additional information should be addressed to:
State Local Bridge Program:
Francisco T. Fadul, P.E.
Project Engineer
Federal Local Bridge Program:
Marc P. Byrnes, P.E.
Project Engineer
James R. Barrows II, E.I.T.
Project Engineer
Phone: (860) 594-3192 Email: James.Barrows@ct.gov
IMPORTANT PROGRAM LINKS
Local Bridge Program Manual
Draft 2013 Local Bridge Program Regulations (PDF, 57.3 KB. To be used until an approved version is published)
Current and Historical Local Bridge Program Legislation (PDF, 383 KB, rev. 2/27/15)
NEW Eligible Bridge List (MS Excel, 0.2 MB, rev. 2/28/19.Note: Lists include both State and Federally eligible bridges; scroll to far-right columns for eligible funding categories)
NEW Master Municipal Bridge List (MS Excel, 1.62 MB, rev. 2/28/19. Complete list of known bridges owned or maintained by cities and towns)
Past Local Bridge Program Manuals
Documents, Forms and Reference Materials (APPLICATION FORMS, standard forms and guidance documents)
Under 20' Bridge Data (MS Excel, 1.11 MB, rev. 2/27/15.Data for bridges with spans less than 20 feet. Note: most of these bridges have not been inspected by the State since 1992)
Bridge Inspection Reports (Information on accessing inspection reports through ProjectWise, and PDF copies when posting is requested by the municipality. If you are looking for a report not available here, please contact the municipality directly)
Project Photos (photographs of some completed bridge projects)
Federal Funding Available to Municipalities (Information on various federal funding programs for municipalities, including non-bridge projects)
Bridge Suppliers and Manufacturers(links to outside web sites of interest, including suppliers and vendors)
Reference Series: Locally Administered Transportation Projects in Connecticut
Bridge Projects Funded
FY2018
FY2017
FY2016
FY2015
FY2014
FY2012 & 2013
FY2011
FY2010
FY2009
FY2008
Please note that ConnDOT personnel are not allowed to discuss particular projects with consulting engineers until a designer has been selected for that project. To preserve the integrity of the bidding process, engineer's detailed cost estimates are not available to the public until a project is completed. Please contact the appropriate town for more information on a project.
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