BUILD America 250 Act supports local bridge upgrades
Counties across the nation stand to receive a healthy infusion of funding to address bridges under the surface transportation bill, BUILD America 250 Act (H.R. 8870), passed on May 22, 2026, by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The five-year reauthorization includes a total of $580 billion, with estimates showing that counties and other local governments will have access to 22% of the funding in the bill. However, through formula set-asides, suballocation and discretionary grant opportunities, the funding could see up to a 270% increase for county-owned bridges.
Counties maintain 38% of bridges, totaling 229,334. The $9 billion in annual bridge funding is up from $5.4 billion annually in the last surface transportation reauthorization and 25% of that is reserved for locally owned bridges. The bill would also establish a 95% cost-share for locally owned bridge projects, helping rural counties afford the required funding to complete those projects.
