Bridge Construction Activity Is Expected to Decline in 2021

The good news: Budget cuts and work reductions won’t be as big as in 2020. The economic decline caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, government budget cuts from reduced tax and other types of revenue, and increases in healthcare spending will reduce the amount of bridge, road, and tunnel construction work planned for 2021.  The good […]

The Historic Arlington Memorial Bridge Rehab Project Is Finally Complete.

The $227-million improvement effort is one of the largest infrastructure projects in National Park Service history. The United States National Park Service (NPS) recently reopened the Arlington Memorial Bridge, a Washington, D.C., landmark that crosses the Potomac River, to motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists. This is after the historic structure underwent a $227-million rehabilitation effort. It is […]

Congressional Activity Related to Bridge and Road Funding Picks Up

Despite the ongoing stall in talks between The White House and Congress on coronavirus stimulus aid, there has been a great deal of activity when it comes to allocations for bridge and road projects. Here are a few of the highlights. Funding is approved to repair bridges and roads damaged by natural disasters. Secretary of […]

BUILD Grants: A Source of Funding for Bridge Projects That You Don’t Know About

The Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Transportation Discretionary Grants program is a competition that makes it possible for the Department of Transportation (DOT) to identify and invest in bridge, road, and other transportation projects that benefit American communities.  The BUILD grant initiative was previously known as the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) […]

New Rules: Simpler Environmental Impact Regulations

The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) recently announced new rules that significantly update and modernize the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for the first time in more than 40 years. The updated rules are documented in the “Update to the Regulations Implementing the Procedural Provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act.” The changes […]

Lessons American Cities Can Learn From a Bridge Disaster in Italy

Italy is half a world away from the United States. What could cities here possibly learn from a bridge collapse that happened there?  Quite a bit, as it turns out. The Italian calamity shows what may happen if things don’t change soon in the U.S. Will legislators and government officials learn from it? Let’s start […]

What Happens When Vehicles Stop Crossing Bridges?

Who would have thought that this would be a question that anyone would ever need to think about?  But today, many municipalities are asking exactly that.  The bridge revenue crisis One of the countless impacts of stay-at-home orders and reduced business activity during the coronavirus pandemic is a devastating decline in bridge tolls and gas […]

The Latest: How COVID-19 Is Impacting Bridge- and Road-Related Operations

Roads & Bridges Media has been conducting an ongoing survey of people in bridge- and road-related industries to find out how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting them and their operations.  The respondents work at engineering firms, departments of transportation and other government agencies, contracting businesses, companies that supply building and other materials, businesses that provide […]