July 24 at 10:00 am – 11:30 am Eastern
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July 24 at 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm Eastern
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The Final Rule to amend Title 23 Code of Federal Regulations Part 661, Indian Reservation Road Bridge Program (IRRBP) was published in the Federal Register today, July 12, 2024 [Docket No. FHWA- 2019-0039] at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/07/12/2024-14933/tribal-transportation-facility-bridge-program (-> lnks.gd) and takes effect on August 12, 2024.

The Final Rule amended the existing IRRBP by renaming it the Tribal Transportation Facility Bridge Program (TTFBP) and to comply with the changes made in the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), carried on through the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act), and the changes made by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). It also removed references to terms such as structurally deficient, functionally obsolete, and sufficiency rating. These updates aligned the TTFBP terminology for bridge conditions with the terminology used for State departments of transportation in the Federal-aid highway program. This change established a consistent terminology for classifying and referring to bridge conditions.

Eligible applicants are limited to federally recognized Tribes. Eligible uses include planning (including safety inspection of in-service bridges), design, engineering, preconstruction, construction, and inspection of new or replacement Tribal transportation facility (TTF) bridges, the replacement, rehabilitation, seismic retrofit, painting, calcium magnesium acetate or sodium acetate/formate application, sodium acetate/formate (or other environmentally acceptable, minimally corrosive anti-icing and deicing composition), and implementation of any countermeasure, including scour countermeasures, for TTF bridges classified as in poor condition, having a low load capacity, or needing highway geometric improvements, including multiple-pipe culverts.

The TTFBP has about $200 million each fiscal year, FY22 thru FY26. The federal cost-share is 100 percent, both for preliminary engineering (PE) and construction funding bridge applications. Tribal applicants are not required to provide a local match regardless of bridge ownership.