Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-14) joined Mercer County Executive Dan Benson, Trenton Mayor W. Reed Gusciora, and local representatives to announce a $47 million grant to improve the Lincoln Avenue Bridge in Trenton. Built in 1931, the Lincoln Avenue Bridge has been designated “in poor condition” by the Department of Transportation, and this gap funding will facilitate a full replacement of the structure. The Bridge Investment Program (BIP) provides funding for bridge replacement, rehabilitation, preservation, and protection projects that reduce the number of bridges in poor condition, or in fair condition at risk of declining into poor condition. On December 20, 2023, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) opened a rolling Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the “Bridge Project Grants” category—which funds projects up to $100 million—and the “Planning Project” category of the Bridge Investment Program. Preceding this, on September 27, 2023, FHWA issued a first-ever rolling NOFO for the “Large Bridge Project” category of the Bridge Investment Program, which funds projects larger than $100 million. The Bridge Investment Program was established by the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which makes the single largest dedicated investment in bridges since the construction of the Interstate highway system: a total of $40 billion over 5 years to help ensure that some of the nation’s most important bridges remain safe and operational, meet current and future traveler needs, support local economies, strengthen our supply chains, and create good-paying jobs across the country. A Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission report delivered in February 2021 offered these observations regarding the condition of the Lincoln Avenue Bridge and proposed upgrades. The bridge is denoted as Mercer County Structure No.140.9 and NJDOT Structure No. 100-055, and it carries Lincoln Avenue over the Amtrak Northeast Corridor Rail Line, an inactive rail yard and the Assunpink Creek. The overall purpose of this project is to replace the bridge, which was originally built in 1931 and was reconstructed in 1965, to provide a low maintenance, long-term solution that eliminates all existing structural deficiencies; incorporates operational, safety and pedestrian access improvements to the bridge and the approach roadways; and minimizes impacts to the adjoining community and environment. The existing bridge is structurally deficient with the superstructure of the bridge in serious condition due to the exposed, moderately to severely rusted steel in the girders and floorbeams at the areas of missing encasement. As a result, the deck is also in poor condition with large areas of spalled and delaminated concrete with exposed rusted rebar. The substructure is in fair condition due to wide vertical cracks, large spalls and delaminated concrete with exposed rusted rebar, and loose coping. This bridge has a sufficiency rating of 46.2. It should be noted that the fact that a bridge is “structurally deficient” does not imply that it is unsafe. It means the bridge must be monitored, inspected and maintained and possibly rehabilitated or replaced. The proposed improvements include replacement of the existing bridge with a new bridge on a similar alignment consisting of five spans with a cast-in-place reinforced concrete deck. The roadway width on the bridge will be improved to provide right side shoulders and bicycle compatibility.  Sidewalks will be maintained along both sides of the bridge. Context Sensitive Design applications including aesthetic treatment and roadway lighting will be incorporated into the project to provide a visually appealing bridge to the public and recognize the historical context of the site. In addition, the traffic signal and curb ramps at the intersection of Lincoln Avenue / Chambers Street and E. State Street will be upgraded to meet current MUTCD and ADA requirements.