State-Aid Bridge Grant Section
The State-Aid Office works in partnership with counties and cities to perform oversight and funding for:
- State-Aid Roads
- 1990 Bridge Grant Program for off-system bridges
- High Priority Bridge Replacement Program (HPBRP)
- IMPROVE Act
- Federal Off-System Bridges
The goal of the State-Aid Office is to repair and replace deteriorating infrastructure owned by the counties and cities.
Contact Us
William R. Snodgrass Tennessee Tower 312 Rosa L. Parks Ave, 12th Floor Nashville, TN 37243
Lisa Dunn State-Aid Manager Lisa.Dunn@tn.gov 615.253.2684 615.519.2963 (cell)
State-Aid Program: This program was established in 1983 to provide funding to county governments for the improvement or rehabilitation of roads that are not on the state-maintained system of highways, that are of sufficient importance for the Department to provide a level or oversight in their identification, technical assistance through program guidelines and procedures in implementing projects, and financial support though annual budgetary appropriations. The maximum amount of road miles a county can have in this system is 20% of the total road miles in their county.
1990 Bridge Grant Program: This program was created to enable local governments to replace or rehabilitate bridges located on public roads, other than those on a federal-aid system or the state system of highways. The Tennessee General Assembly found and declared it to be in the vital interest of the state that a highway bridge replacement and rehabilitation program be established to enable the local governments to replace or rehabilitate certain bridges within their respective jurisdictions when the commissioner finds that a bridge is structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.
High Priority Bridge Replacement Program (HPBRP): A funding program created to prioritize and rehabilitate or replace local bridges in the IMPROVE Act. These bridges were identified by the Department based on bridge inspection reports.
IMPROVE Act: This program was enacted in 2017 when the Tennessee General Assembly signed a list of 527 bridges into state legislation. Participation in this program required a 33% commitment of the 1990 Bridge Grant funds over a 14-year period. This program cannot have bridges added to the list that is in state law.
Federal Off-System Bridge Programs: This program provides funding to replace or rehabilitate structurally deficient or functionally obsolete bridges not on the state or federal system of highways. The Department, through the State-Aid Office, selects bridges for this funding source from the bridge replacement/rehabilitation list generated annually at the beginning of each fiscal year. The number of bridges funded through this program is governed by the amount of funding available.