The South Dakota Transportation Commission has awarded 35 preliminary engineering Bridge Improvement Grants (BIG) totaling approximately $1.8 million (Aug. 29, 2024).
State Department of Transportation Secretary Joel Jundt says his department received 40 applications from 21 counties, totaling $2.8 million in project costs. He says in order to be eligible for a BIG grant, a county must impose a wheel tax and have a County Highway and Bridge Improvement Plan detailing proposed county highway and bridge improvement projects over the next five years.
Jundt says each year, $7 million is dedicated from license plate fees and from non-commercial vehicle fees. Additionally, he says, SDDOT annually sets aside $8 million per year of state highway funds, to make a total of $15 million available for BIG. To date, $165 million in BIG funds have been awarded.
Jundt says the goal of the grant process is to enhance the overall condition of critical infrastructure assets that people are dependent upon every day. He says these structures provide the link that drives the interconnectedness of the state’s overall transportation system, while enhancing statewide economic development overall.
Jundt says the BIG program continues to be vital for the necessary preservation, rehabilitation and replacement of local government structures. He commends the Transportation Commission for their continued commitment to provide state funding for this critical local government program.
Counties receiving BIG grants are: Aurora (1), Bon Homme (1), Brookings (4), Buffalo (1), Butte (1), Codington (4), Douglas (1), Edmunds (2), Grant (2), Hanson (1), Hutchinson (1), Kingsbury (1), Lawrence (1), Meade (1), Minnehaha (2), Roberts (1), Sanborn (1), Sully (3), Tripp (2), and Union (4).
Applications for the next round of the BIG program are due Jan. 2, 2025, for the Preservation and Rehabilitation/Replacement categories.
For more information regarding the BIG program, contact Doug Kinniburgh at 605-773-4284 or visit https://dot.sd.gov/doing-business/local-governments/bridge-improvement-grants.
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