The County Local Bridge Program provides funds to counties for bridge replacement or rehabilitation. The County Engineers Association of Ohio (CEAO) serves as the program manager and is responsible for project selection, funding criteria and program priorities.
To be eligible for federal funds, the local bridge must carry vehicular traffic on a public road and meet the federal definition of a bridge (structure with an opening of more than 20 feet, measured along center of roadway).
To guarantee funding for counties with the worst bridge conditions, at least $10 million is earmarked annually for eligible bridges in targeted counties having a deck area deficiency percentage greater than the statewide average based on a GA of 4 or less. The remaining bridges are ranked according to condition and importance to the community, but counties not receiving any funds within a four-year period are given priority.
None is available.
Funding is only provided for construction unless the program manager determines that preliminary engineering and right-of-way costs are warranted.
In accordance with the agreement between ODOT and the CEAO, the CEAO will be responsible for the administration of the Federal/State Exchange Program. Counties will have an opportunity to take advantage of this program with the objective of advancing projects more quickly. The intent of this program is to use state funds in lieu of federal funds currently provided. Each County choosing to utilize state funds will request that ODOT's Director allocate funds to specific projects through the CEAO Local Bridge Program.
More information can be found in the CEAO Federal Funding Policies Manual at http://www.ceao.org.