Investment in John Nolen Drive Bridges will improve safety for bicyclists and pedestrians and is part of nearly $300 million in Fiscal Year 2022 Bridge Investment Program Grants making critical improvements to 9 bridge projects

FHWA 13-23I
Contact: FHWA.PressOffice@dot.gov
Tel: (202) 366-0660

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) today announced that the City of Madison’s project to replace the John Nolen Drive Bridges will receive $15.1 million as part of a $300 million investment from the Bridge Investment Program in nine small and medium-sized bridge projects in both rural and urban areas in eight states and the District of Columbia. The grants from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Bridge Investment Program are an integral part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to rebuild our infrastructure and grow our economy from the middle out and bottom up. It comes on top of billions of dollars in other bridge and highway funding already flowing to every U.S. state and territory that is helping communities rebuild, repair, and replace tens of thousands of bridges across the nation and restoring connections that are vital to commuters, emergency responders, truck drivers, public transit riders, and more.

“When bridges have to close for repairs—or worse, begin to fail—it can cut off access to an entire community, adding hours to commutes, costing money for local businesses, and delaying first responders from getting to an emergency,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “The grant awards we’re announcing today are helping communities of all sizes modernize their bridges so that school buses, delivery trucks, ambulances, and commuters can get where they need to go quickly and safely.”

The grant help replace six bridges along the John Nolen Drive Causeway, which is a major artery that travels across Lake Monona and into downtown Madison. Approximately 45,000 vehicles travel each day on John Nolen Drive. The six two-lane bridges --three northbound and three southbound -- along the corridor are 48 to 55 years old and are in fair condition. The improvements will address several transportation challenges, including poor structural integrity and a dangerous roadway and intersections. The project will improve safety for bikers and pedestrians by supporting a separated bike-pedestrian path, enhanced traffic signals and street lighting, smart technologies to manage traffic and green infrastructure.

This grant is part of historic investments made possible by the Biden-Harris Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which will help repair or rebuild ten of the most economically significant bridges in the country along with thousands of bridges across the country. These bridges are critical to the movement of people and goods locally, regionally, and nationally.

“The Biden-Harris Administration is investing in this bridge replacement project because it will enhance connectivity and provide safer travel options for residents of Madison, improving their quality of life,” said Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt. “Over the next five years, the Bridge Investment Program will work to repair, replace, and rehabilitate structures that allow businesses to move their goods to market while helping people get to jobs, schools, doctors, and other vital destinations. This project is an investment in both the United States’ economic growth and in the safety and long-term resilience of the communities that make this country great.”

“I voted for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law because it is updating our crumbling infrastructure to keep Wisconsinites safe, strengthen our supply chain, and create good-paying jobs,” said Senator Tammy Baldwin. “I am proud to be bringing home this funding to the Madison community to ensure that drivers, bikers, and walkers can all do so safely, businesses can get their products to market on time, and consumers save money – putting Wisconsin to work doing it all.”

“One of Madison’s main drives is getting a well-deserved upgrade, and it couldn’t have come at a better time,” Congressman Pocan said. “Thanks to the Infrastructure Law passed by Congress and signed by President Biden, Madison is receiving more than $15 million to improve the bridges on John Nolan Drive, making it safer for commuters, bikers, and pedestrians alike. This project will create good paying jobs, right here in the heart of Madison. Thank you, President Biden, Secretary Buttigieg, and Coordinator Landrieu, for investing in Wisconsin.”

The $300 million in investments announced today are awarded to bridge projects with eligible costs of up to $100 million. Today’s announcement follows earlier announcements under the Bridge Investment Program umbrella:

• In October 2022, FHWA announced $20 million in bridge-planning grants for 24 projects in 24 states.  Those grants were designed to create a pipeline of construction-ready bridge projects that are now in the early stages of project development.
• In January 2023, FHWA announced $2.1 billion in large-bridge project grants to make critical improvements to four nationally significant bridges that serve as a vital link for local residents, communities, and both the regional and national economy. In addition to the four FY22 Large Bridge Project Grants, FHWA also announced an additional Bridge Planning grant to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the amount of $1.6 million to advance critical planning work in support of replacement of the Bourne and Sagamore Bridges over the Cape Cod Canal.

The Bridge Investment Program is a competitive grant program that will invest $12.5 billion over 5 years to rebuild, repair, and replace small, medium, and large bridges. This program already invested $2.4 billion in Fiscal Year 2022, and complements the $27.5-billion Bridge Formula Program, representing the single-largest dedicated investment in bridges since the construction of the Interstate Highway System.

President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is growing the American economy from the bottom up and middle-out, not top-down – from rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure, to creating a manufacturing and innovation boom powered by good-paying jobs that don’t require a four-year degree, to building a clean-energy economy that will combat climate change and make our communities safer and more resilient.

For more information on the Bridge Investment Program, please visit the FHWA’s Bridge Investment Program webpage.

# # #