National Bridge Funding Reform Act

The National Bridge Funding Reform Act would modify federal bridge funding distribution under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. If enacted, the bill would eliminate two existing programs: the Carbon Reduction Program and the PROTECT Program, which focus on reducing transportation emissions and improving resilience. In their place, the bill would establish a new National Bridge Program that distributes federal funds to states based primarily on total bridge deck area (75 percent) and bridge condition (25 percent). This contrasts with current law, which allocates funds based on the estimated costs to repair bridges in poor condition and rehabilitate bridges in fair condition. The bill's supporters argue this approach would give states more flexibility to manage all their bridge assets and allow states with large numbers of bridges, like Texas, to receive more funding. The bill is currently in committee and has not yet been voted on by the full House.