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Federal Highway Administration
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Bridges & Structures

 
MEMORANDUM
Subject: ACTION: Request for Candidates - Historic Covered Bridge Preservation Program - Reply due: April 11, 2003 Date: February 28, 2003
From: /s/ Original signed by:
Raymond J. McCormick, P.E.
Acting Director of Bridge Technology
Reply to Attn. of: HIBT-30
To: Directors of Field Services
Division Administrators
Federal Lands Highway Division Engineers

The purpose of this memorandum is to solicit FY 2003 candidate bridge projects from the States for the preservation, rehabilitation, or restoration portion of the National Historic Covered Bridge Preservation Program (NHCBP). This program was established by Section 1224 of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA21), and provides funding to assist the States to preserve, rehabilitate, or restore the Nation's historic covered bridges. For the purposes of this program, the term "historic covered bridge" means a covered bridge that is listed or eligible for listing on the National Register for Historic Places.

The program provides for two categories of projects. One is for grants to assist the States to rehabilitate, repair, and preserve the Nation's historic covered bridges. The second is for the conduct of research and technology transfer. The total FY 2003 appropriation available for this program is $3,974,000.

Applications will be accepted for the Historic Covered Bridge Preservation, Rehabilitation, or Restoration portion of the program only. Please do not accept candidates for the research portion of this program as part of this solicitation. The research portion will be addressed separately.

Grants will be awarded to States submitting applications that demonstrate a need for assistance in carrying out one or more eligible projects as outlined below:

  1. to preserve, rehabilitate, or restore a historic covered bridge.

  2. to preserve an historic covered bridge, through (i) installation of a fire protection system; (ii) installation of a system to prevent vandalism and arson; and (iii) relocation of a bridge to a preservation site.

To ensure the projects retain their historical significance, each project must be carried out in the most historically appropriate manner following the Department of Interiors Standards, and the standards and guidelines approved by the State Historic Preservation Officer. The Secretary of the Interiors Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties may be obtained at the website, http://www2.cr.nps.gov/tps/secstan1.htm, and should be consulted for the distinct approaches to treatment of historic properties. Although the Standards were developed for historic buildings, the terms, guidelines, and suggested approaches are generally applicable to historic covered bridges.

We request that all applications be submitted on or before April 11, 2003.

Please refer to the attached program summary for additional guidance. Using the criteria and associated selection considerations, please assist your State departments of transportation to determine the projects to be submitted.

Attached is an application form to be used for candidate projects. The State's application should describe the project in enough detail to demonstrate that it meets one or more of the goals of this program. The application and other supporting documents that provide a further description of the project, such as the scope of work and bridge plans, should be completed and submitted to the Office of Bridge Technology. Projects previously submitted but not selected may reapply with an updated application form.

Questions concerning this program should be addressed to Steve Ernst, Office of Bridge Technology, at (202) 366-4619.

Attachments


APPLICATION

National Historic Covered Bridge Preservation Program

State ____________________

Project type (preservation, rehabilitation, or restoration) ___________________________________________

NBI structure number ________________________ Bridge Name __________________________

Location (e.g., county, city, route) ____________________________________________________________

Congressional District/Representative __________________________________________________________

Year Built ___________________ Is the structure on the National Register of Historic Places? _______

Is the structure eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places? _______

Structure description (e.g., # of spans, length, width, design type, description of decking, beams/stringers, sides & roof, wood species, wood preservation system in use, historical significance, builder, type of traffic on bridge.) (In addition to a narrative, should submit set of plans.) What are the qualities that qualify the bridge for the National Register?

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Previous repair work (description, year, etc.)

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

This project provides for preservation, rehabilitation, or restoration of a covered bridge. The terms are as defined in the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties which were developed to help protect the nation's irreplaceable cultural resources by promoting consistent preservation practices. The restored structure should be functional and cater to today's traffic. However, at the same time construction and restoration work has to complement the original architecture. Provide a description of proposed work including fire protection system, and arson prevention system to be used. (Note: Fire Retardant Treatments affect the properties of wood and are also not recommended by AASHTO or the Industry).

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

All wood used for outdoor applications must be properly treated with wood preservatives. Describe the preservative system proposed, and the standards to be followed.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________


Does the State have a historic bridge inventory/management plan accepted by the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO)? A programmatic agreement for historic bridges with the SHPO, FHWA and the ACHP may substitute.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

State if the SHPO has certified that preservation of the bridge is warranted in accordance with the SHPO's State-wide historic preservation plan; how it benefits state-wide preservation efforts; how it enhances cultural tourism or enhances the history/economic development of the community; and other benefits of successful completion of this project.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Has the work plan been reviewed by the SHPO or Local Certified Government and meet the goals of the State Historic Preservation Plan, the Department of Interior (DOI/NPS) standards for rehabilitation and standards/guidelines developed by FHWA for this program?

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Does the State or local government plan to support the project with funds or other resources? (e.g. donated materials or labor) Indicate amount.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Describe the current load carrying capacity of the bridge, and the load carrying capacity of the bridge once work is completed. Will the repaired structure carry State's legal load?

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

When the project is complete, will the bridge meet the current State or AASHTO standards for the roadway classification that it carries? Explain.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

If any innovative techniques are used for the repair work, performance of these may need to be evaluated, generally for 2 years after completion. State if this work involves any new techniques or process.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

The FHWA desires to have a publishable report which includes the history of the bridge, both original and new construction techniques, an accurate documentation of the restoration work, cost information, etc. In addition, provide a name of the responsible person in charge of the project final report.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Schedule for start of work (month/year)_________ Schedule for completion of work (month/year)_________


Cost Estimates:

  A FHWA Funds Requested B Other Sources A+B
Preliminary Engineering cost, if requested _________________ _________________ _________________
Substructure cost, if any _________________ _________________ _________________
Restoration cost of Superstructure _________________ _________________ _________________
Cost of innovative portion performance evaluation _________________ _________________ _________________
Cost for preparation of the final project report _________________ _________________ _________________
Other costs (define) _________________ _________________ _________________
Total cost of project _________________ _________________ _________________

State Department of Transportation Contact Person
Name _______________________________
Title ________________________________
Agency _____________________________
Ph: ________________________________
Fax: ________________________________
e-mail: ______________________________

Local Agency Contact Person (if applicable):
Name _______________________________
Title ________________________________
Agency _____________________________
Ph: _________________________________
Fax: ________________________________
e-mail: ______________________________

FHWA Division Office Contact Person:
Name ______________________________
Title _______________________________
Division Office _______________________
Ph: ________________________________
Fax: _______________________________
e-mail:______________________________

State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO)
Name ______________________________
Title _______________________________
Office______________________________
Ph.________________________________
Fax:_______________________________
e-mail______________________________


National Historic Covered Bridge Preservation Program

Year 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
Authorization 0 $10M $10M $10M $10M $10M
Appropriated 0 0 $8M $9.978 $2.82275 $3.974

Funding:

  • Section 1224 of the Transportation Efficiency Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) authorized $10 million from the General fund for each of the FY's 1999 through 2003 to carry out this program. These funds must be appropriated before they become available
  • The Federal share of project cost is 80 percent.

Eligibility:

  • Funds are available for bridge projects that meet one or more of the program goals.
  • The project may be on any public roadway, including Federal, State and locally funded projects.
  • Funds are available for costs of preliminary engineering, costs of rehabilitation, preservation, and arson and vandalism prevention activities. Funds are also available for evaluating any innovative portion of the restoration work not to exceed 2 years, and to prepare a case study report.

Selection Criteria for Bridge Preservation Projects:

  • Candidate projects will be selected utilizing input from a panel formed by the FHWA.
  • Candidate projects which best meet the intent of this program will receive the highest priority. Applicants may want to provide additional information to explain how the project meets the intent of the program.
  • Candidate projects ready for or near the construction phase will be given priority consideration.
  • Candidate projects that leverage Federal funds with other significant public or private resources will be given preference
  • Candidate projects, which further the aims of the Historic Bridge Management Plan and/or the State Historic Preservation Plan with the endorsement of the SHPO, will be given priority consideration.
  • Candidate projects proposing complete restoration and rehabilitation will be given priority over candidate projects proposing only the installation of fire/vandalism protection systems or projects that propose to move the bridge to a preservation location.

Application Guidance:

  • Priority Ranking - Each State, in cooperation with the FHWA Division Office, is requested to prioritize their candidate projects giving reasons for the priority.
  • High cost projects- The FHWA will attempt to equitably distribute funds to applicant States in accordance with the States' priorities, however, it is to be expected that high cost project requests may be funded at less than 100 percent of a State's requested amount.

Decision Process for Funding

  • All projects will be evaluated and recommended for funding by a selection panel formed by the FHWA

Schedule:

The following is the schedule for program activities:

  • February 28, 2003: Call for FY 2003 projects
  • April 11, 2003: Submission deadline for FY 2003 candidate projects
  • June 2003: Selection of FY 2003 projects
Updated: 10/05/2022
Federal Highway Administration | 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE | Washington, DC 20590 | 202-366-4000