The final funded round of Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A), about $993.5 million, closed May 26, 2026. As of October 21 we could find no award announcement. Those awards, then grant agreements, then consultant RFQs, will carry local safety work well into 2027. After that, SS4A has no funded round unless Congress reauthorizes it.
For a civil firm that chases county and city work, that's a pipeline with a known end. Bridge Formula money has the same shape, with later dates.
Has USDOT Announced the FY2026 SS4A Awards?
Not yet. The FY2026 notice of funding opportunity made $993,488,194 available: $687,809,874 for implementation grants and $305,678,320 for planning and demonstration grants. Applications closed May 26, 2026.
The last round gives a rough clock. FY2025 applications closed June 26, 2025, and USDOT announced 521 awards totaling $982,231,998 on December 23, 2025. That's about six months. The same gap would put FY2026 awards in late November or December. USDOT hasn't given a date, so treat that as a pattern, not a schedule.
For scale, the Eno Center for Transportation counts about $3.9 billion across 2,362 awards in FY2022 through FY2025. Implementation grants were about 11% of awards but about 69% of the dollars.
Why Is This the Last Funded SS4A Round?
SS4A's money came from the IIJA's Division J advance appropriations, which covered FY2022 through FY2026. The extension Congress passed, H.R. 6500 (Public Law 119-103), keeps surface transportation programs running to December 11, 2026. It did not continue the Division J advance appropriations. We covered what that split does to a 2027 pipeline and to transit and rail work.
So there's no FY2027 SS4A money today. A bill would change that. The Safe Streets for All Reauthorization and Improvement Act, H.R. 5452, would authorize $5 billion for FY2027 through FY2031. It was introduced in September 2025 and referred to committee. It isn't law. Eno expects it would most likely move as part of a larger surface transportation reauthorization.
Congress is out until November 9. Full-year FY2027 talks wait on the November 3 midterms. December 11 is the next deadline that forces a decision.
When Will SS4A Consultant RFQs Come Out?
Later than the award date suggests. An award is the first of three steps before a county or city can hire you.
- Award announced. Around year-end, if the FY2025 pattern holds.
- Grant agreement executed. MSA Professional Services, an engineering consultancy, reports agreements taking "several months, and in some cases, nearly a year." That's one firm's field report, not program data. MSA also notes that costs incurred before the agreement are generally not reimbursable, which gives agencies a reason to wait before they procure.
- Consultant procurement. The agency writes and posts its RFQ.
Run those steps from a December award and most FY2026-funded RFQs land in 2027. The FY2025 recipients from last December are going through the same steps now, so some of their solicitations are still ahead too.
One detail changes the long view. Implementation grants require a qualifying Comprehensive Safety Action Plan. A community that wins a planning grant in this round will finish a plan that, unless Congress acts, has no SS4A implementation round to apply to.
How Do Bridge Formula Balances Fit?
The Bridge Formula Program (BFP) is also Division J money: $5.5 billion a year for FY2022 through FY2026, per FHWA's BFP implementation guidance. States must set aside at least 15% for off-system bridges. For off-system bridges owned by a county, city, town or other local agency, the federal share is 100%.
BFP doesn't stop all at once. Each year's apportionment stays available for obligation through a fixed date, then lapses.
| BFP apportionment | Available for obligation until | Status on October 22, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| FY2022 | September 30, 2025 | Lapsed |
| FY2023 | September 30, 2026 | Lapsed |
| FY2024 | September 30, 2027 | Open |
| FY2025 | September 30, 2028 | Open |
| FY2026 | September 30, 2029 | Open |
| FY2027 | No apportionment | Not funded |
Bridge work on FY2024 balances has a date the state can't move. That makes it the most time-bound bridge money in your market.
How Should a Civil Firm Score County and City Pursuits Through Mid-2027?
Add these questions to your go/no-go scoring for local safety and bridge pursuits over the next two quarters.
- Is the money awarded, or agreed? An awarded project with no executed grant agreement has a soft start date. Ask the client where the agreement stands before you budget proposal hours.
- Is it implementation or planning? Implementation awards carry most of the dollars and lead to design and construction-phase work. Score a planning pursuit as a single scope. Don't count a funded follow-on until reauthorization passes.
- Is the client on the FY2026 list? Pull the list the day it posts and map it to your counties and cities. The method is the same one we laid out for BUILD grant awards.
- Which bridge balances is it drawing on? Ask the state DOT's local programs office which off-system bridges are programmed against FY2024 funds. Those have the nearest lapse date.
- Are you holding capacity for an FY2027 round? Release it. Revisit after December 11.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will the FY2026 SS4A awards be announced?
USDOT hasn't announced a date. Applications closed May 26, 2026. In the prior round, applications closed June 26, 2025 and awards were announced December 23, 2025. If FY2026 follows that pattern, awards would arrive in late November or December 2026.
Will there be an FY2027 SS4A round?
Not under current law. SS4A was funded by IIJA advance appropriations that ended with FY2026, and the extension to December 11, 2026 did not continue them. H.R. 5452 would authorize $5 billion for FY2027 through FY2031, but it has not passed. Congress returns November 9, and December 11 is the next deadline.
How long after an SS4A award do consultant RFQs come out?
Usually months. The grant agreement comes first, and one engineering consultancy reports agreements taking several months to nearly a year. Costs incurred before the agreement are generally not reimbursable, which gives agencies a reason to wait for it before hiring consultants. For a December award, that puts most RFQs in 2027.
When do Bridge Formula Program funds expire?
Each apportionment has its own date. FHWA lists FY2024 funds as available for obligation until September 30, 2027, FY2025 until September 30, 2028, and FY2026 until September 30, 2029. Unobligated amounts lapse after that date. FY2023 funds lapsed September 30, 2026, and no FY2027 apportionment exists under current law.