UMaine ASCC secures $8 million USDOT partnership

The ASCC works to develop and deliver structures and civil infrastructure components using next-gen composites, as shown in the example above. Source | University of Maine

In May 2025, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Advanced Research Projects Agency – Infrastructure (ARPA-I) moved forward with an $8 million partnership with the University of Maine’s (UMaine, Orono, U.S.) Advanced Structures and Composites Center (ASCC) to further develop technologies that will deliver bridges at half the cost, in half the time and with twice the lifespan of many current bridges. 

“The Advanced Structures and Composites Center has long been a leader in this innovative space, and I cannot think of a better partner for the federal government for this bridge building initiative,” says Senator Susan Collins. “This investment will support cutting-edge research that has the potential to revolutionize how we construct our nation’s bridges.”

ARPA-I is an inaugural grant competition that funds high-risk, high-reward, next-generation transportation technologies through the USDOT’s ARPA-I Exceptional Bridges through Innovative Design and Groundbreaking Engineering (X-BRIDGE) program. ARPA-I’s cooperative agreement with UMAine will develop and integrate new advanced composite materials into bridge construction and to explore AI-assisted design tools. In partnership with UMaine, the X-Bridge program aims to demonstrate these technologies at scale through the construction of a prototype bridge.

UMaine’s X-Bridge project has a total of five major tasks, with a base year budget of $8 million plus two potential option years of $6 million each (totaling $20 million for the overall project). It covers the design of the university’s Composite Bridge System (CBS); its use developing and prototyping CBS technologies; and planning and ramp-up to construct a full-scale demonstration bridge using the CBS in partnership with Maine DOT. Full-scale construction of the demonstration bridge is expected to be primarily funded through an infrastructure owner and operator, and appropriate partnerships for construction will be finalized during the execution of the R&D project.

In addition to this partnership, Senator Collins has secured more than $18 million in Congressionally directed spending for UMaine’s ASCC through her role on the Senate Appropriations Committee.