Kansas Providing Nearly $41M For Local Bridge Projects - AASHTO 12/16/2022

...Meanwhile, in South Dakota, the Bridge Improvement Grants or BIG program – established in 2015 – sets aside $7 million per year from funds generated by license plate fees to repair and replace aging local bridges.

Local governments are required to pay a minimum of 20 percent matching funds and have three years to expend the grant, noted the South Dakota Department of Transportation, while counties must have a wheel tax and a five-year Highway and Bridge Improvement Plan to receive a grant.

“The BIG program continues to be crucial for the preservation, rehabilitation, and replacement of local government structures,” said Joel Jundt, secretary of the South Dakota DOT, in a statement.

“The goal [of this program] is to enhance the overall condition of these critical assets that South Dakotans are dependent upon each and every day,” he added. “These structures provide the link that drives the interconnectedness of our state’s overall transportation system; while enhancing statewide economic development overall.”

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