Bridge Improvement Grants

2025 Grant Awards

Notable changes to the 2025 BIG Procedures

• 2025 Preliminary  Engineering to be awarded Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024
  
• 2025 Preservation Grants to be awarded in early 2025
  
• 2025 Rehabilitation/Replacement Grants to be awarded in early 2025

Documents

• Five-Year County Highway and Bridge Improvement Plan Guide
• 7 Basic Requirements for a Five-Year County Highway and Bridge Improvement Plan

Five-Year County Highway and Bridge Improvement Plan Forms/Templates

• Five-Year Programmed Project Listing
• Project Status List
• Checklist of Requirements
• Certification Form
• Project Needs List
• Revenue Sources
• Checklist of Requirements for Annual Update
• Resolution-Plan Amendment 

Bridge Improvement Grants

• Bridge Improvement Grant (BIG) Procedure
• Bridge Improvement Grant (BIG) Application
• County Wheel Tax as it Applies to Bridge Improvement Grants
• Example Funding Agreements
  
  - Preliminary Engineering – State Administered
  - Preservation – Locally Administered
  - Rehab / Replacement – Locally Administered

ADMINISTRATIVE RULE FOR LOCAL BRIDGE IMPROVEMENT GRANT (BIG) FUND, ARTICLE 70:13:01 →
ADMINISTRATIVE RULE FOR COUNTY HIGHWAY AND BRIDGE IMPROVEMENT PLAN, ARTICLE 70:12 →

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About the Program

The Bridge Improvement Grant (BIG) program was created by the 2015 legislative session in Senate Bill 1 (SB 1). SB 1 states that in order to be eligible for a BIG grant, a county must impose a wheel tax. In addition, a county must have a County Highway and Bridge Improvement Plan. The plan should detail proposed county highway and bridge improvement projects in the county for the next five years.

The Transportation Commission was tasked with creating Administrative Rules regarding the application process and timelines, the guidelines and criteria for approval of applications, and the distribution of funds from the local BIG fund. The Transportation Commission was also tasked with developing Administrative Rules for the Plans. The rules are to provide the format of the plan and the time by which an update of the plan must be submitted.

Draft rules and guidance documents for the BIG and Plans were developed, reviewed and revised by the Transportation Advisory Council (TAC) which is composed of representatives from townships, towns, cities, Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), planning districts, American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), tribes, county commissioners, county highway superintendents and the Local Transportation Assistance Program (LTAP).

SB 1 dedicated $7 million per year for the BIG funds. This money comes from the license plate fees and from non-commercial vehicle fees. In addition, SDDOT will set aside $8 million per year of state gas tax funds, for a total of $15 million available for the BIG grants.

For information regarding the BIG grants or the Plan requirements, please contact:

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Previous Grant Awards

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Interactive Map of Bridge Improvement Grant Projects

Click on the map below to view it.