August 7, 2024
The next round of the Municipal Bridge Retro-reimbursement Program is now open. It will close at 5:00 pm on Monday, September 9, 2024.
DVRPC’s Municipal Bridge Retro-Reimbursement Program (MBRP) is an opportunity for municipalities in the DVRPC-PA region to secure funding for locally owned, structurally deficient bridge rehabilitation or replacement projects. In this process, municipalities fund the selected bridge rehabilitation or replacement projects with local funds and then receive an 80 percent reimbursement of the project costs from PennDOT once the construction is complete. This program allows the region to improve the safety and condition of its municipal bridges with state bridge funds from the Pennsylvania Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). According to PennDOT, the average Pennsylvania bridge is more than fifty years old.
Previous MBRP projects have ranged from $130,000 to $2,200,000 and were located across Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties. DVRPC works closely with PennDOT and the PA counties throughout the project selection process to ensure bridge eligibility criteria are met. In the past two rounds of the MBRP, twenty-one structurally deficient bridges have been rehabilitated or replaced.
This includes two recently completed bridge projects:
- Pulaski Drive Bridge Replacement: Whitpain Township, Montgomery County
Selected in the 2018 round of the MBRP, this project replaced the existing structurally deficient bridge with a culvert and implemented stormwater management, erosion, and sedimentation controls. The new bridge includes safe and accessible walkways for all residents. Whitpain Township and Dawood Engineering were awarded the 2024 Road and Bridge Safety Improvement Award on behalf of the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors (PSATS), Pennsylvania Highway Information Association (PHIA), and PennDOT.
- Howellville Road Bridge Replacement: Tredyffrin Township, Chester County
This historic bridge, built in 1879, was selected in the 2014 round of the program. During replacement, the township and engineers worked closely to preserve the rare iron truss of the bridge. It was kept fully intact and is currently in storage to be repurposed for a future bridge trail project in Tioga County. The new bridge exhibits significant infrastructure improvements and a similar metal truss structure that upholds the historic aesthetic and charm.
DVRPC is excited to announce that a third round of the Municipal Bridge Retro-Reimbursement Program is now accepting applications. This round has up to $16 million of state bridge funding available to fund structurally deficient bridge rehabilitation or reconstruction projects within the DVRPC-PA region, using PennDOT's retro-reimbursement process.
Find more information about bridge eligibility and the selection process.