COLUMBUS — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has announced the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) is now accepting applications for funding as part of the Local Major Bridge Program, which provides federal funds to counties and municipalities for bridge replacement, bridge rehabilitation, and bridge demolition projects.

DeWine announced in April that more locally-owned bridges would be eligible for funding as part of this program. Modified program requirements opened eligibility to 238 bridges, up from 54. During the current funding cycle, the program will pay up to 95 percent of the construction and engineering costs for major bridge projects with a cap of $20 million.

“Expanding the number of eligible bridges in this program gives more communities the opportunity to seek assistance with expensive repairs,” said DeWine. “Ensuring that Ohio bridges are safe now and into the future is our goal, and this program helps accomplish that.”

ODOT has identified a list of bridges that meet the definition of a Local Major Bridge, but to qualify for funding, bridges must also meet other specific criteria related to inspection history, load restriction, and operation status.

In Shelby County, one bridge meets the definition of a local major bridge and will be eligible in future funding years as the bridge condition deteriorates. The bridge is on Childrens Home Road and goes over the Great Miami River. It has a deck size of 19,008 square feet and an appraisal value of 7. Its sufficiency rating is 99.9 out of 100. At this time, the bridge is not structually deficient.

Completed online applications are due by Oct. 1. Selected projects will be announced by January 2023.

A criteria-based project selection process has been developed to focus on eliminating deficiencies while keeping within a financial plan that utilizes existing available resources. Funding of all projects will be linked to defined deficiencies to ensure that each dollar invested results in system improvement.