Closer Looks

Through its Municipal Small Bridge and Community Culvert grant programs, MassDOT provides financial support to municipalities and Tribal Governments for the repair, replacement, and modernization of small bridges and culverts, assets which are critical for local travel but often aren’t large enough to be eligible for federal funding.

Both projects allow for phase one grants that cover design and permitting, and phase two grants that fund construction. All municipalities and Tribal governments may apply. Applications are selected based on need and merit according to the level of impact to the community, accessibility concerns, and the submitted proposal.

Funding these projects and maintaining sturdy infrastructure is not only important for safe travel, but for climate resilience. Our transportation assets need to remain functional during, or rapidly recover from, climate, flooding, or hazard impacts throughout the structure’s lifespan. Examples of culvert resilience improvements include:

• Replacing an undersized or failing culvert with a design that improves hydraulic capacity to handle increased rainfall
• Designing for scouring and erosion under future conditions
• Adding bypass channels and secondary culverts for extreme flood events
• Other projects that can reduce the magnitude or duration of impacts of disruptive weather events

Since its launch in 2017, the municipal small bridge program has funded $82.1 million through 217 grants statewide. In the 2025 funding round, $14.6 million was awarded to 36 projects across 35 municipalities. These grants have helped repair and replace bridges in communities across the Commonwealth to keep them connected, accessible, and safe. For example, the town of North Reading was awarded $500,000 toward the replacement of the Park St. bridge, addressing deficiencies in the 112-year-old structure to ensure the safety of all who travel across it. The Community Culvert Grant Program was launched in 2025, so the direct impacts are yet to be seen, with awards expected to be announced in Winter of 2026.

These programs are just a few aspects of the MassDOT Chapter 90 Program that helps implement capital improvements on local public ways. MassDOT is committed to continuing to fund and expand programs like these to ensure safe, environmentally resilient, and accessible transportation across the Commonwealth.