County Bridge Match Program Provides Long-Term Impacts on Infrastructure

Over the past three years, the Nebraska Department of Transportation’s County Bridge Match Program (CBMP) has exemplified how partnerships can have a lasting impact on infrastructure. The benefits derived from these collaborative efforts will continue well beyond the life of the program.

Nebraska is a predominantly rural state that relies heavily on its roads and bridges for transporting agricultural goods from farm to market. Of the state’s 15,044 bridges, 11,065 are in the county system. The program improves safety and mobility, as well as provides greater economic benefits for farmers and commerce.

Formed as a result of the Transportation Innovation Act (TIA) signed into law by Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts in April 2016, the program provides up to $40 million in funds to counties for the innovative replacement and repair of deficient county bridges in Nebraska. The third round of project selections was announced in January 2019 and the program will continue until 2023.

According to NDOT Bridge Engineer Mark Traynowicz, since the program’s inception, a total of $12 million has been approved for 55 counties to repair or replace 200 bridges. The selected counties receive 55 percent of bridge construction costs with counties providing a 45 percent match.

“The County Bridge Match Program is one that I remain excited about because of its ability to make a difference in our local counties by investing in their infrastructure,” Traynowicz said. “In addition to the funding for these bridges, the program has also spurred and supported innovative best practices that have been used by counties as they replace additional bridges using their own funds.”

NDOT’s partnership with the CBMP working group has played a pivotal role in the program’s success. Members include county officials, county engineers, and county highway superintendents. They meet quarterly to discuss ways to improve the program.

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