Great Expectations: Bridge Repair
178 million times a day? According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, that’s the number of times Americans cross deteriorating bridges around the country—every day. As states work to leverage federal infrastructure dollars for repair, builders are on the alert for green lights.
Prioritizing
For Construction Pros reports that help is on the way for ailing bridges around the country: “The Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA) makes the single largest dedicated bridge investment since the construction of the interstate highway system and…establishes a bridge investment program …for projects that improve the condition of bridges as well as the safety, efficiency and reliability of the movement of people and freight over bridges.” Despite the federal commitment, however, states still have a lot of pencil sharpening and prioritizing to do, given the sheer quantity of bridges in need of attention. Here, are examples of the deficient bridge challenges being confronted in South Dakota and Michigan:
South Dakota: Over one thousand of the nearly six thousand bridges in South Dakota have been classified as structurally deficient—meaning that one of the key elements is in poor or worse condition. The most deficient bridge in the state is in Brown County, where U.S. Highway 12 crosses Moccasin Creek. Built in 1954, hopefully it makes the list of projects that will get green lighted for a slice of the $1.9 billion in federal highway aid allocated for South Dakota.
Michigan: With over eleven thousand bridges across the state, Michigan is looking hard at the twelve hundred that are structurally deficient. The new federal infrastructure allocation of $7.3 billion dollars for roads and bridges, and includes $1.7 billion more than usual. That $1.7 has a lot of land and water to span!
In total, $26.5 billion from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is earmarked for fixing bridges across the country. Get up to speed on the 375 programs included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), with The White House’s “one-stop-shop” Guidebook. Don’t forget to gear up for the public contracts headed your way, by leveraging The Partnership Account® from Colonial Surety. In addition to a surety line of credit—in writing, The Partnership Account® gives qualified construction companies:
- Control of bidding and bonding, online and in real time.
- Powers of attorney to seal and issue their own bid bonds—in minutes.
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- Direct access to performance and payment bonds on a customized dashboard.
- Real time tracking of bids and work on hand.
- Immediate access to Colonial’s lead underwriter as new opportunities emerge
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Let’s Get Going?
Drawing on information from the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), the states with the highest percentages of bridges in poor condition are:
- West Virginia: 21%
- Iowa: 19.1%
- Rhode Island: 19%
- South Dakota: 17.7%
- Pennsylvania: 14.6%
- Maine: 12.7%
- Louisiana: 12.7%
- Puerto Rico: 12.1%
- Michigan: 10.8%
- North Dakota: 10.3%
Soon, bridge builders across the country will be leveraging research from The University of Kansas, which was awarded a grant from the Federal Highway Administration, to provide insights applicable to bridge upkeep and repair efforts. As work on bridges kicks in around the country, builders are leveraging The Partnership Account for Contractors® from Colonial Surety. Here’s why: as a direct underwriter of bonds based on the strength of financial statements, we give builders power of attorney to issue their own bid bonds. Plus, we provide a rich array of complimentary services, including: direct access to performance and payment bonds on a customized dashboard; real time tracking of bids and work on hand—and immediate access to Colonial’s lead underwriter as new opportunities emerge.
Speed and service? It’s true. Complete the brief pre-qualification for your written surety-line of credit and The Partnership Account® services today—and receive, for free, Dun & Bradstreet scores. Pre-Qualify and Get Free Scores Here.
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