Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Competitive Highway Bridge Program (CHBP)

The Fiscal Year 2026 Competitive Highway Bridge Program (CHBP), solicited under FHWA-CHBP-26-001, offers up to $350 million in cost-reimbursable grant funding to eligible states for highway bridge improvements, with funding subject to annual appropriations. States with more than 14 percent of their bridges classified in poor condition are guaranteed a minimum award of $32.5 million if their application meets or exceeds that amount, while no state may receive more than $55 million. The federal share of project costs aligns with 23 U.S.C. § 120, and applicants must provide a minimum non-Federal cost share to remain eligible. Applications must be submitted electronically via Grants.gov by July 27, 2026, and require full registration in SAM.gov with a valid Unique Entity Identifier. Eligible applicants must submit a comprehensive package including SF-424, SF-424C, SF-424D, SF-LLL, the Grants.gov Lobbying Form, and the official FY 2026 CHBP Application Template, which must not exceed 25 pages and must be formatted in 12-point Times New Roman, single-spaced with one-inch margins. Supporting materials include detailed budgets, project schedules, design plans, maps with bridge locations and latitude/longitude coordinates, congressional district information, and letters of support. The program is administered under 2 CFR Part 200 as adopted by DOT at 2 CFR Part 1201, along with Title 49 of the CFR, FHWA’s Competitive Grant Program General Terms and Conditions, and OMB principles. All awards are subject to domestic preference mandates under Buy America and Build America Buy America requirements, and recipients must certify compliance with all applicable Federal anti-discrimination laws, including E.O. 14173, by affirming they do not operate DEI programs violating those laws. Project proposals are evaluated on four merit criteria: State of Good Repair and Investing in Core Infrastructure, Safety and Mobility, Innovation, and a fourth undisclosed criterion, using a qualitative rating system of Highly Responsive, Responsive, or Non-Responsive, leading to an overall High, Medium, or Low rating. Only applications rated Medium or High proceed to the Project Readiness Assessment, which evaluates technical capacity, financial completeness, and permitting risk with low, moderate, or high risk ratings. Applicants must also demonstrate project readiness through detailed planning, including