SPI Insights

Bridge projects continue to dominate the country’s focus on infrastructure reform

Congress continues to allocate billions to a long-overdue effort to make the country’s bridges safer. About 50,000 bridges in America recently were deemed structurally unsound, and weather-related events are taking a huge toll on bridge structures.

Last week, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced $5 billion in awards for 13 large bridge projects. Many of these projects will have cost projections ranging from hundreds of millions to billions. This $5 billion allocation is part of approximately $9.6 billion that will be awarded to bridge projects that will launch between now and the 2026 fiscal year.

While this sounds like an abundance of funding, the need for improvements to America’s bridge infrastructure sector is so significant much more funding will be required. Recent estimates suggest the country’s bridges alone need more than $300 billion for repairs. One bridge project currently in motion is the Hilton Head Island bridge project, which may cost as much as $480 million.

The Arkansas and Tennessee Departments of Transportation are collaborating to replace the aging Interstate 55 bridge that connects Memphis, Tennessee, and West Memphis, Arkansas, across the Mississippi River. The $800 million project will replace the 75-year-old bridge with a six-lane multimodal bridge that meets modern seismic safety standards. The project will improve safety and route resiliency, streamline traffic flow and increase freight capacity. It will also improve the Big River Crossing Trail, a pedestrian and cyclist bridge that runs parallel to the I-55 bridge.

The project is currently in the environmental review phase. Design work will be solicited in late 2024, and construction services will be solicited in early 2025. The project may not be completed until 2030.

The Venetian Causeway Bridge Replacement Project is a critical infrastructure initiative in Miami that carries an estimated cost projection of $150 million. The project recently received a $101 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Officials at Miami-Dade County and the Florida Department of Transportation will oversee replacements of 11 of the 12 historic bridges that form the Causeway that connects Miami to Miami Beach. These bridges, built in 1927 and recognized as historic landmarks, must be replaced because of deterioration and risks related to frequent hurricanes.

The new bridges will be wider to accommodate expanding sidewalks and new bicycle lanes, enhancing safety and accessibility for pedestrian and cyclist traffic. The design phase should be completed by the end of 2024, but permitting may not be completed until the end of 2025. Construction is slated for early 2026.

The Kansas Department of Transportation will soon replace a 60-year-old bridge in Kansas City at an estimated cost of $138 million. The 18th Street Bridge, which crosses the Kansas River, is nearing the end of its useful life. The new bridge will feature several improved structural features. The shoulders will be wider, and the vertical clearance between the bridge and the river’s surface will be increased to accommodate flooding. The number of lanes will remain the same, and the design concept will maintain the bridge’s current alignment. The project recently received a $62.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The bridge is currently in the final design stage and is scheduled to go to bid in mid-October 2024. Construction is planned for 2025. Unfortunately, the bridge will be closed to traffic for two construction seasons, which will cause inconvenience to many.

A huge bridge project in South Carolina will be launched to reconstruct the Highway 278 bridges and corridor to Hilton Head Island. The South Carolina Department of Transportation will lead the project with collaboration from the Hilton Head Island Town Council and Beaufort County. A new corridor will replace the current four bridges with one bridge that has a total of six lanes (three in each direction) to ease heavy traffic congestion. There will also be a 12-foot multi-use path. The project has an estimated cost of between $460 million and $480 million. Because the project’s design phase is expected to be long, contractor solicitations are not scheduled until July 2025. Officials have planned for a completion date of 2030.

There are now new details about a mega bridge project that I’ve written about in an earlier column. The extremely large bridge replacement project for the Borne and Sagamore Bridges in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, with an estimated cost of $6 billion, is moving through the environmental and design phase. However, a recent announcement indicates procurement will begin later this year. Because the project will have multiple facets, solicitations and contract awards will take place over many years. Most interesting is that contracting opportunities for this large project will range from $9 million to more than $1 billion. Construction is planned to begin in late 2025 or early 2026.

Bridge projects will require all types of services and equipment. Engineering, technology, professional services and equipment will be in high demand. If community outreach is part of the plan, the best time for interested contractors to position themselves to compete for the work is during that phase. Otherwise, positioning efforts are normally open through the design phase. Local and experienced subcontractors always enhance a prime contractor’s chances of being selected.