News Release Archive

Sun River Bridge Replacement Project selected for federal funding

Media Contact: Brittany Jones, 406-247-7611, bjones@usbr.gov

For Release: September 04, 2020

BILLINGS, Mont. – The Bureau of Reclamation recently selected the Sun River Bridge Replacement Project to receive proposed funds of $1.77 million in 2023 under the Federal Lands Access Program (FLAP).

The proposed project will replace the aging Sun River Bridge, which is located about 0.85 miles downstream of the Sun River Diversion Dam about 20 miles northwest of Augusta, Montana, with a modern structure, to include updated safety features and additional load carrying capacity.

The proposal was developed collaboratively between Reclamation and Greenfields Irrigation District to provide for 13.42 percent of the estimated total project cost. This funding will be leveraged as matching funds to allow the Greenfields Irrigation District to submit a subsequent grant proposal under FLAP to fund the remainder of the estimated $13.1 million total project cost. Final FLAP funding selections are expected to be announced by the Federal Highway Administration in the spring of 2021.

“Leveraging alternative funding sources while not imparting significant fiscal burdens to the Greenfields Irrigation District will be critical in replacing the current bridge,” said Steve Davies, area manager for Reclamation’s Montana Area Office. “We’re hopeful that this is the first step in a successful bridge replacement project.”

Funds for FLAP are available through the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, which authorizes transportation funding through competitive proposals through the Federal Lands Transportation Program. This program aims to improve federally-owned transportation assets open to the general public such as bridges, roads, trails and boat ramps.

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