Chapter 2: Bridge Programming and Funding
Anchor: #BGBFCJGFSection 1: Bridge Division’s Role
Anchor: #i1004144Overview
Bridge work administered by Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) includes projects for construction of new bridges and replacement, rehabilitation, repair, and maintenance of existing bridges on the public highways, roads, and streets.
The public highways, roads, and streets may either be on- or off-system. On-system routes are on the designated state highway system while off-system routes are not part of the designated state highway system and are under the direct jurisdiction of the local government. A local government may be a county, city, other political subdivision of the state, or special district that has the authority to finance a highway improvement project.
On-system bridge projects are typically funded with a combination of federal-state funds or 100% state funds, while off-system bridge projects administered by TxDOT are typically funded with a combination of federal-state-local or a combination of federal-local funds.
New projects developed by the Turnpike Authority Division are funded by a combination of federal and state funds and bonds to be paid off by toll revenue.
The Texas Transportation Commission (Commission) and TxDOT use the Unified Transportation Program (UTP) as TxDOT’s ten-year plan for transportation project development and construction in preserving and enhancing the statewide transportation system. The UTP is normally updated and re-issued yearly, listing un-let projects that were authorized in the previous edition of the UTP plus newly programmed projects. Categories in the UTP reflect the various systems outlined by the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). The National Highway System (NHS) and the Surface Transportation Program (STP) are examples of such funding categories. Another funding category is the federal Highway Bridge Program, which addresses the specific purpose of replacing or rehabilitating structurally and functionally obsolete or deficient bridges. TxDOT administers the federal bridge program, in separate sub-categories for on- and off-system project Categories 6 ON and 6 OFF, respectively. For more information on the UTP and funding categories, see the Planning Manual and the Program and Scheduling Manual in the Transportation Planning and Programming Collection.
Still another funding category is the federal Railroad Grade Separation Program (see Chapter 2, Section 3), established for the purpose of constructing new on-system highway-rail grade separation structures at existing highway-rail grade crossings and replacing existing deficient on-system highway underpasses of railroads. This program is administered through UTP Category 6 RGS with federal participation from Surface Transportation Program (STP) funds.
For Categories 6 ON, 6 OFF, and 6 RGS, the UTP usually authorizes projects only at the CONSTRUCT level, which authorizes planning, development, preliminary engineering, and letting to contract. For certain other categories, the UTP also authorizes projects at the DEVELOP level, which authorizes the same phases as for CONSTRUCT except letting to contract.
The on- and off-system federal Highway Bridge Program and the federal Railroad Grade Separation Program (Category 6 RGS) are the only programs of the UTP that are administered by the Bridge Division. However, for all TxDOT administered construction projects that include bridges, regardless of UTP funding category, matters of bridge planning, structural design, plan development, and plans, specifications, and estimates (PS&E) review are under the purview of the Bridge Division.
To clearly distinguish between enhancement and preservation of the state’s transportation system, the UTP encompasses two subordinate programs that are issued yearly in two separate documents:
- The Statewide Mobility Program (SMP) includes funding strategies to increase mobility and otherwise enhance the transportation system.
- The Statewide Preservation Program (SPP) consists of funding strategies used to preserve and maintain the existing transportation system. The on- and off-system federal Highway Bridge Program programs and the Federal Railroad Grade Separation Program (Categories 6 ON, 6 OFF, and 6 RGS, respectively) are included under the SPP.