State Aid Programs
An Introduction to:
Local Bridge Replacement
Program
Local Road Improvement
Local Bridge Replacement
Program
Funding Options
 Federal
 State
Aid
 State Transportation Funds (Bridge
Bond)
 Town Bridge Account
 Local
Minnesota Highway Users Tax
Distribution Fund
Collection Costs and
Refunds to DNR, Public
Safety, Revenue,
Administration, etc.
$31,768,578
Special 5%
Town Bridge Account 16%
Town Road Account
30.5%
TOTAL HIGHWAY
USERS FUND
Special 5% Distribution
$75,640,663
Flexible Highway Account
53.5%
Regular 95%
Trunk Highway Fund
62%
Regular Distribution
$1,437,172,598
County State Aid Highway
Fund 29%
Municipal State Aid Street
Fund 9%
(2007 dollars used in this slide)
Highway Users Fund – Special 5%
Town Bridge
Account
1.
2.
$12,102,506
Special 5% - $75,640,663
Town Bridge Account
16%
Town Road Account
30.5%
Town Road
Account
$23,288,007
Flexible Highway Account
53.5%
Flexible Highway
Account
$40,849,456
Distributed to counties based on
needs
Used for the replacement of
deficient township bridges
1. Distributed to counties based on:
• township road mileage open to traffic at
least 8 months/year
• formula adopted by individual county
boards
2. Used for township road construction and
maintenance
1. Municipal Turnback Account – not apportioned
to municipalities, but used for the restoration of
former Trunk Highways now designated
MSASs
2. County Turnback Account - not apportioned to
counties, but used for the restoration of former
Trunk Highways now designated as CSAHs
3. Trunk Highway Fund - used for state road
construction and engineering costs
(2007 dollars used in this slide)
Local Bridge Replacement
Program Process
 Federal
Funds: Area Transportation
Partnership/Project (ATP) Selection in
each district
 State Aid: County/City program
 Bridge Bond: County/City/Twp program
 Town Bridge Account: County/Twp
program working with townships
Master Bridge Replacement
Priority List
 Should
be updated annually by
resolution of the County Board
 Used for legislative hearings to support
bridge bond funding
 Estimated costs and program year
Federal Funds
To be eligible, the bridge must:
 Have a clear span of at least 20 feet
 Be structurally deficient or functionally
obsolete
 Have a sufficiency rating of less than 50
Best source for large expensive structures
State Transportation Funds
(Bridge Bond)
To be eligible, the bridge must:
 Be located on local road and owned by
a city, county or township, and
 Be at least 10 feet long, have a
sufficiency rating of 80 or less, and be
structurally deficient or functionally
obsolete
State Transportation Funds
(Bridge Bond)
If these requirements are not met, the
bridge can be eligible if:




Matching federal-aid bridge funds have been
awarded
It is hydraulically deficient
A road-in-lieu is available (costs to replace the
structure are used)
Structure is being abandoned
Requires preliminary engineering studies
and extensive evaluation
Funding Levels
 CSAH/MSAS
- 50/50 split with State
Aid funds
 County and city bridge not on State Aid
system – 100% of eligible items
 Township bridges if town bridge balance
is used first
All use of State Transportation
Funds are dependent on the
state legislature providing
appropriations for this
program!
Town Bridge Funds
 Located
on township road and owned
by the township
 Townships coordinate bridge
replacements with the County Engineer
 County Engineer prioritizes
replacements based on structural or
functional condition, local priority, and
availability of Town Bridge funds or
other state funds
Town Bridge Funds
To be eligible, the bridge must:
 Be at least ten feet long, with sufficiency
rating of 80 or less, and replaced with
another bridge
 Be hydraulically deficient
 Road-in-lieu of bridge can be
constructed to eliminate bridge – bridge
must be abandoned after the project
Costs covered by Town
Bridge Funds

100% of bridge structure or culvert costs
 Approach grading and bridge removal costs
over $10,000
 Engineering costs over $10,000 or 100% of
engineering costs if your net tax capacity is
less than $300,000
 100% of the costs to abandon a bridge or
build a road-in-lieu of a bridge, up to the cost
of the replacement bridge
Application for Bridge Funds
 Bridge
must be included in local
agency’s bridge construction program
by board resolution, and the resolution
submitted to State Aid
 State Transportation fund grant
application must be completed,
approved by the DSAE, and submitted
to State Aid Program Engineer
When Funds are Approved
 Bonding
bill signed into session law
Funds are awarded based on firstcome/first-served basis with priority
given to load posted, closed, fracture
critical, emergency, and structure size
 Plans approved
 Federal match is the first priority
 Board resolution accepting the grant
terms
Local Road Improvement
Program
Three accounts are used to fund local
roads:
 Trunk Highway Corridor Projects
 Routes of Regional Significance
 Rural Road Safety
Trunk Highway Corridor
Projects Account
 Used
as a loan to cities, counties and
roads
 Assists with paying the local share of
TH projects that are not fully funded
with state and federal funds
Routes of Regional
Significance
 Applies
to all local roads
 Used as a grant for expenditures to
cities, towns and counties
 Used for constructing or reconstructing
city streets, county highways or town
roads with statewide or regional
significance not fully funded through
other sources
 Application on state aid website
Routes of Regional
Significance
Criteria for eligibility under this program:

Local road construction, reconstruction or
reconditioning project
 A minor collector or higher (some
exceptions)
 Be ready for bid by a specified date
 Have a minimum expected life of 10 years
 Be located on a CSAH, MSAS, county road,
city street, or township road and owned by
the city, county or township
Rural Road Safety
 Used
as a grant for counties to assist in
paying for projects on county state aid
highways
 For projects intended primarily to
reduce traffic crashes, deaths, injuries,
and property damage
 Eligibility is based on the project’s
ability to reduce the frequency and
severity of crashes
Rural Road Safety
To be eligible under this program, the
project must:

Be located on a designated CSAH or county
road
 Reduce or eliminate a safety deficiency that
will reduce crashes, deaths, injuries, or
property damage
 Employ a safety strategy identified in MN’s
Strategic Highway Safety Plan
 Be ready for bid by a specified date
Application Process
To apply for a local road improvement
grant, provide the following information:
 State
Aid application form
 Map showing project location and limits
 Letters and resolutions of support
Submit applications to DSAE