House transportation committee reviews town highway grant programs, says demand far outstrips funding

State transportation staff briefed the House Transportation Committee on Feb. 5 on four town‑highway grant programs, describing program rules, how projects are prioritized and a gap between municipal demand and state funding.

Transportation maintenance engineer Chad Greenwood told the committee the department administers the Town Highway Structures Program, the Class 2 Roadway Program, a non‑federal disaster program and a federal disaster (FHWA) bridge/road emergency fund. Greenwood said the structures program is funded at about $7.2 million a year and the Class 2 program at about $8.6 million. Greenwood described local match requirements and maximum award limits for the programs.

The briefing matters because committee members said town officials across the state are applying for far more work than the state can fund, leaving municipalities to wait years for grants and to rely on emergency reimbursements after storms.

Greenwood said the Town Highway Structures Program covers bridges, culverts 36 inches in diameter or larger and retaining walls on class 1, 2 and 3 town highways. He said the statute sets the program funding and that typical grants are capped at $200,000. For structures Greenwood said the local match is 20% of the total project cost, or 10%…