Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Competitive Highway Bridge Program (CHBP)
Competitive grants fund bridge projects in eligible low-density or small-population states to improve state highway bridges, administered by state departments of transportation.
RESTRICTED TO: STATE LOCAL GOV
⚑ Cost share required; applicants that do not provide at least the minimum non-Federal share are ineligible. · Only specified eligible states may apply. · Projects may only be administered by State Departments of Transportation. · State award cap is $55 million; some states are guaranteed at least $32.5 million if they submit eligible applications totaling that amount or more.
Unit fits — one characterization, each unit's own rules
| Tom Love Innovation Hub | 30 weak | prototyping/demonstration stage; deep-tech content |
| IPPRA | 15 none | university cannot apply directly (ineligible) |
| Physical Sciences & Engineering (demo) | 15 none | university cannot apply directly (ineligible) |
Description
This NOFO will award up to $350 million in FY 2026 funding via cost reimbursable grants.
The actual amount available to be awarded under this notice will be subject to the availability of funds.
Eligible States (See Additional Eligibility information below) with greater than 14 percent of total bridges classified in poor condition are to receive no less than $32.5 million, provided the State submits eligible application(s) with a total value that meets or exceeds $32.5 million. There is no minimum award amount for States that do not meet this condition.
No State shall be awarded more than $55 million.
Under FY 2026 CHBP, the Federal share of the cost is in accordance with 23 United States Code (U.S.C.) § 120. See Section B for more details. Applicants that do not provide at least the minimum non-Federal cost share will be classified as ineligible.
Eligibility
Eligible applicants under FY 2026 CHBP are States with: • A population density of less than 115 individuals per square mile; or A population of less than 1.1 million individuals; and • Have less than 26 percent of total bridges classified as in good condition; or Have greater than or equal to 4.9 percent of total bridges classified as in poor condition.
Population density is calculated based on the latest available data from the decennial census conducted under 13 U.S.C. § 141(a) as of February 3, 2026, the date on which the Department of Transportation Appropriations Act, 2026, Pub. L. 119-75 became law. Resident population density is used. Percentages of bridge counts are based on the National Bridge Inventory (NBI) as of June 2024. The percentages are based on the number of bridges throughout the State regardless of ownership, e.g., total number of bridges classified as in poor condition compared to the total number of bridges in the NBI that meet the definition of a bridge on a public road. Based on these requirements, eligible applicants are the States of Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. States that are eligible to receive no less than $32.5 million include Iowa, Maine, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and West Virginia. FY 2026 CHBP projects may only be administered by State Departments of Transportation (State DOT).
Apply
View on Grants.gov → CONTACT: DOT Federal Highway Administration <support@grants.gov>
Proposal brief SEE AN EXAMPLE →
A one-page internal memo: fit assessment, submission requirements, document scaffold, and next steps dated back from the deadline — tailored to your project idea if you add one.
Proposal shell · Federal (generic) conventions SEE A FEDERAL EXAMPLE →
Funder-faithful document skeletons — Federal (generic)'s document set with section headings, page limits, reviewer guidance, and writing prompts; add a project idea to get [DRAFT] starter bullets. Download as .md for Word or Overleaf.