Vermont transportation officials outline $160M-plus bridge program, flag cost increases and flood repairs

Carolyn Koda, P.E., the structures program manager, told the Senate Transportation Committee on March 21 that the agency’s Structures and Hydraulics group manages preservation, rehabilitation and new-construction work for the state’s bridges, large culverts and retaining walls.

Koda said the FY26 program for bridges totals roughly $161 million across three subprograms — interstate, state highway and town highway bridges — and includes emergency-repair work from the 2023–24 floods. "Right now, we were just over a hundred and 60,000,000 in fiscal year 25, and the share of our program is about a hundred and 60,000,000 total in 2026," Koda said.

The committee was given a program-level breakdown and project highlights, and members pressed staff for condition and lifecycle metrics rather than dollars alone. "The dollars don't mean crap to me," said one committee member, asking for year‑over‑year work completed and counts of bridges in each condition category. Koda and other staff agreed to provide condition and lifecycle charts showing age, work completed and remaining needs.

Why it matters: Committee members emphasized that the recent influx of federal infrastructure money and flood-driven emergency projects has raised program totals and complicated…