ARKANSAS, USA — The bi-partisan infrastructure bill finally came to pass in Washington D.C. and more than $27 billion will be spent to repair around 15,000 bridges across the nation.
In Arkansas, the bill will provide more than $278 million to fix bridges that are in "poor" condition. This money will also be used to preserve and improve nearly 6,000 bridges that are in "fair" condition.
The Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) reports that statewide there are more than 12,000 bridges, 661 reportedly in "poor" condition.
The funding was announced last week so it may be too early to tell where the money is most needed throughout the state.
“We were already looking at doing this, we already had funding set aside to do this," said ARDOT spokesperson Dave Parker. "So I think you see out of this is an enhanced effort or a focus on replacing and preparing bridges that are in poor condition.”
Parker says that a "poor" condition grade does not mean a bridge is a danger to the public.
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