Transportation Department Announces $5.4 Billion for Building, Repairing Bridges

The funding initiative does not require applicants to adhere to DEI and environmental requirements.

In an aerial view, cars drive by the San Francisco skyline as they cross the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, on Oct. 27, 2022. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The Federal Highway Administration, part of the Department of Transportation (DOT), said on Monday that nearly $4.9 billion is being made available for bridge projects across the United States, along with up to $500 million for replacing or repairing bridges in rural areas.

The department said the funding will help fix tens of thousands of bridges across the country, including about 42,000 that are in poor condition and in “dire need of repair.”

The DOT has eliminated diversity and environmental requirements to receive the funding.

One policy under the Biden administration required applicants for bridge financing to detail how the project considers “climate change and environmental justice in the planning stage and in project delivery.”

Specifically, applicants were required to address issues such as “how the project reduces greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector.”

Another policy imposed diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) mandates on applicants. This included addressing how the project would create good-paying jobs, with a focus on “women, people of color, and others that are underrepresented in infrastructure jobs (people with disabilities, people with convictions, etc.).”

It also asked applicants to “change hiring policies and workplace cultures to promote the entry and retention of underrepresented populations.”

The latest $5.4 billion funding initiative does not require applicants to adhere to these DEI and environmental requirements.

“Under President Trump’s leadership, America is building again,” Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said in a DOT statement. “The previous administration handcuffed critical infrastructure funding requirements to woke DEI and Green New Scam initiatives that diverted resources from the Department’s core mission. Under the Trump Administration, America is building again.”

The DOT said the grants will strengthen national supply chains and improve “critical corridors for freight travel.”

Out of the $5.4 billion, nearly $4.9 billion in funding will be issued under the Bridge Investment Program established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). Signed into law in November 2021, the BIL made a $1.2 trillion investment commitment over five years to repair and modernize America’s infrastructure.

The Bridge Investment Program allocates $40 billion over five years for bridge preservation, protection, rehabilitation, and replacement to reduce the number of bridges deemed to be in poor condition.

The DOT’s decision to end DEI and environmentalism comes after Duffy rescinded two memos in March issued under the Biden administration that promoted “a social justice and environmental agenda” in critical infrastructure projects.

Duffy said that under the Trump administration, the DOT was “getting back to basics,” focusing on building key infrastructure projects.

The agency’s actions are in line with President Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 executive order that called for an end to “Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing.”

‘Unnecessary Barriers’

On May 28, the DOT announced more than $1.5 billion in funding to repair bridges and roads damaged by natural disasters.

North Carolina will receive $415 million in funding, Tennessee $227 million, South Carolina $68.8 million, Florida $44.6 million, and Georgia $26.4 million. A big chunk of the funds will go toward resolving damage caused by the Helene and Milton hurricanes.

“We are expediting the process to remove unnecessary barriers for urgent projects so communities can rebuild in real time,“ Duffy said at the time. ”Within the first 100 days of the Administration, we announced repairs to North Carolina’s I-40 highway, washed out by Hurricane Helene, that are projected to save two-thirds in both cost and time—amounting to hundreds of millions of hard-earned tax dollars.”

Repairing bridges and other infrastructure is one of the several steps the DOT is taking under the Trump administration to boost infrastructure development in the United States.

On May 14, the DOT said it had approved a total of 405 grants worth around $5 billion as part of clearing an “unprecedented backlog” of more than 3,200 projects that the previous administration announced but failed to execute.

On May 29, Duffy announced 52 deregulatory actions across the Federal Highway Administration, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in a bid to “unburden Americans of costly regulations.”