Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Competitive Highway Bridge Program (CHBP)
DOT Federal Highway Administration
Summary
This NOFO will award up to $350 million in FY 2026 funding via cost reimbursable grants. The actual amount available to be awarded under this notice will be subject to the availability of funds. Eligible States (See Additional Eligibility information below) with greater than 14 percent of total bridges classified in poor condition are to receive no less than $32.5 million, provided the State submits eligible application(s) with a total value that meets or exceeds $32.5 million. There is no minimum award amount for States that do not meet this condition. No State shall be awarded more than $55 million. Under FY 2026 CHBP, the Federal share of the cost is in accordance with 23 United States Code (U.S.C.) § 120. See Section B for more details. Applicants that do not provide at least the minimum non-Federal cost share will be classified as ineligible.
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Eligibility
Eligible applicants under FY 2026 CHBP are States with: • A population density of less than 115 individuals per square mile; or A population of less than 1.1 million individuals; and • Have less than 26 percent of total bridges classified as in good condition; or Have greater than or equal to 4.9 percent of total bridges classified as in poor condition. Population density is calculated based on the latest available data from the decennial census conducted under 13 U.S.C. § 141(a) as of February 3, 2026, the date on which the Department of Transportation Appropriations Act, 2026, Pub. L. 119-75 became law. Resident population density is used. Percentages of bridge counts are based on the National Bridge Inventory (NBI) as of June 2024. The percentages are based on the number of bridges throughout the State regardless of ownership, e.g., total number of bridges classified as in poor condition compared to the total number of bridges in the NBI that meet the definition of a bridge on a public road. Based on these requirements, eligible applicants are the States of Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. States that are eligible to receive no less than $32.5 million include Iowa, Maine, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and West Virginia. FY 2026 CHBP projects may only be administered by State Departments of Transportation (State DOT). | applicant types: Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification); State governments