Originally published by The Pottstown Mercury

State and federal officials on Friday highlighted the impacts the $1.2 trillion federal infrastructure bill passed in November will have on Pennsylvania, with a particular focus on bridges.

Pennsylvania is set to receive $1.6 billion in the next five years to fix more than 3,000 bridges across the commonwealth, according to information provided by Gov. Tom Wolf’s office. In fiscal year 2022, the Keystone State will receive more than $327 million in federal funding for bridge projects.

“Pennsylvania ranks second in the nation for the number of bridges in poor condition (3,353 to be exact), so to say we will benefit from the newly announced Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding is an understatement,” U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-6th District, said during a Zoom press conference announcing the funding Friday.

No doubt part of the reason Pennsylvania has so many bridges is the fact that it is home to more than 86,000 miles of rivers, streams, and creeks — second in the United States only to Alaska; not to mention all of the bridges over other roads and railroad bridges.

That is probably why Pennsylvania ranks third in the nation for bridge funding under the program announced Friday, Houlahan said.

Locally, projects that could benefit from the funding include bridge improvements, repairs and replacements on Route 422 in Berks, Chester and Montgomery counties; and on I-95, I-476 and Route 322 bridges in Delaware County, according to lists of PennDOT projects planned for the region.

“Strong infrastructure is critical to the quality of life for all Pennsylvanians, especially strong, safe bridges. Bridges are the lifelines that connect our communities to one another, while modern, reliable infrastructure is essential for Pennsylvania-based businesses to expand,” Wolf said in a press release.

U.S. Rep Susan Wild, D-7th District, said her district in the Lehigh Valley has seen an explosion of warehouses and they have a huge impact on our roads and bridges.

Improved roads and bridges also service existing manufacturers and these improvements can encourage future growth, she added.

And it’s not just big business that benefits.

Houlahan, who represents all of Chester and part of Berks counties, said she has visited a baker whose delivery routes must cross an impaired bridge with limited weight capacity so they can only load half the truck.

“They have to make two trips,” Houlahan said.

Examples like that, she said, indicate that improved bridges cannot only help businesses and commuters and travelers, but improve quality of life by improving air quality due to lower vehicle emissions.

It is also timely, Houlahan said, “especially after the flooding and destruction we experienced as a result of Hurricane Ida, our municipal leaders and union crews are ready to rebuild. This investment will benefit our entire Commonwealth.”

The program represents the largest investment in U.S. history toward fixing bridges.

In a press release, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg called the program “the largest investment of its kind in U.S. history” — dedicating $26.5 billion nationally to states over the next five years. Nationwide, the Bridge Funding Program is expected to help repair approximately 15,000 bridges.

“Modernizing America’s bridges will help improve safety, support economic growth and make people’s lives better in every part of the country — in rural, suburban, city, and tribal communities,” Buttigieg said .

An analysis released last year by TRIP, a national transportation research nonprofit, found Pennsylvania is the 11th-worst state in the nation in terms of the condition of its interstate system, and 12th-worst in terms of the conditions and structural integrity of its interstate bridges.

The American Society of Civil Engineers gave Pennsylvania a D- grade in roads and bridges in its 2018 report, the latest available.

In addition to providing funds to states to replace, rehabilitate, preserve, protect, and construct highway bridges, the Bridge Formula Program has dedicated funding for “off-system” bridges, locally-owned facilities that are those not on the federal-aid highway system.

While states normally must match federal funding with up to 20% state or local funding, the guidance issued Friday notes that federal funds can be used for 100 percent of the cost of repairing or rehabilitating such locally owned off-system bridges.

The additional money for bridges comes in addition to $4 billion over five years for state roads PennDOT will receive under the infrastructure bill. That will average out to about $1.33 billion extra for five years, but it still falls way short of the extra $8.1 billion a year the state says it needs to meet normal annual road and bridge work.

Consider that in just one PennDOT district  — which includes Philadelphia, Delaware, Bucks, Chester and Montgomery counties — the list of 396 projects to which the funding could be applied adds up to an estimated $6.7 billion.

In PennDOT’s District 5, which includes Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton and Schuylkill counties, the list of work needed comprises 372 projects which add up to an estimated $3.4 billion.

“As far as specific bridges, we’re not at that point yet,” Alexis Campbell, spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said in a press release. “We’re doing the 2023 update [to the state bridge program] now. We will put that money to good use, for sure.”

Although no decisions have been made yet on which of these projects will be funded as a result of this bill, Houlahan noted that because so many of the projects on those lists have been under discussion and planning for so long, “many of them are shovel-ready.”