Crumbling Texas Bridges Finally Getting Repaired

TEXAS — About 15,000 bridges in poor condition, including 818 in Texas, are targeted for repair and improvement under a five-year, $27 billion program announced Friday by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The administration is releasing nearly $5.5 billion to states, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia and tribes this fiscal year to fund the program, which the administration said is “the single largest dedicated bridge investment” since the interstate highway system was authorized in the 1950s.

Texas will receive a total of $107.4 million in the current fiscal year and $537.1 million over five years.

Texas bridges listed in poor condition include:

Harris County

• I-610 over Houston Ship Channel
• I-45 northbound over White Oak Bayou
• I-610 South eastbound over Holmes Road, Union Pacific Railroad and Theresa Street
• I-10 westbound over McCarty Street and U.S. Highway 90A
• I-610 South westbound over Holmes Road, Union Pacific Railroad and Theresa Street
• I-10 westbound over San Jacinto River
• South Braeswood Boulevard over Harris County Flood Control District ditch
• Louetta Road over Seals Gully

Galveston County

• I-45 southbound over BNSF Railroad
• I-45 northbound over BNSF Railroad

Dallas County

• Highway 183 westbound over Loop 12
• I-30 westbound over I-635
• I-635 eastbound over Tap Railroad
• I-635 eastbound over Highway 78 and SF Railroad
• I-635 westbound over Tap Railroad
• Texas Spur 348 northbound to I-35 northbound over I-35 East southbound
• U.S. Highway 80 Conn A over U.S. Highway 80
• U.S. 80 Highway Conn B over U.S. Highway 80
• I-345 southbound over I-30, U.S. Highway 75 and Dart Rail
• I-345 northbound over I-30, U.S. Highway 75 and Dart Rail

The funds earmarked by the Transportation Department cover only about a third of the 45,000 bridges nationwide identified as in poor condition in the $1 trillion infrastructure plan President Joe Biden signed into law in November. It authorized nearly $40 billion for repairs and upgrades.

Nancy Singer, a spokeswoman from the Federal Highway Commission, told Patch the $27 billion is authorized under the dedicated Bridge Formula Program to replace or repair highway bridges. It is not the only pot of money available to states to fix bridges.

States receive the money according to a needs-based formula, and state transportation departments will decide how the money is used, whether for major highway bridges that are part of the federal highway system or bridges under local jurisdictions, Singer said.

The states are being notified how much they’ll receive over five years for planning purposes, the report said.

The Texas Department of Transportation is currently working on plans for the funds, TxDOT officials told Patch on Friday, declining to comment further until more is known.

The funding in the infrastructure plan promised to reach almost every corner of the country with money earmarked for bridges, ports, rail transit, safe water, the power grid, broadband internet and other critical infrastructure.

The White House issued a fact sheet Friday detailing how the administration is distributing infrastructure funds 60 days after the plan was approved.