[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4755 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4755

 To establish a permanent fund to ensure the continued maintenance and 
         rehabilitation of the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 26, 2000

 Mr. Petri (for himself and Mr. Rahall) introduced the following bill; 
       which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and 
                             Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To establish a permanent fund to ensure the continued maintenance and 
         rehabilitation of the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge 
Preservation Act''.

SEC. 2. RESPONSIBILITY OF THE SECRETARY FOR THE WOODROW WILSON MEMORIAL 
              BRIDGE.

    (a) Maintenance, Rehabilitation, and Expansion of Existing 
Bridge.--The Secretary of Transportation shall be solely responsible 
for the maintenance, rehabilitation, and expansion of the existing 
Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge over the Potomac River between the 
States of Virginia and Maryland until all conditions under section 5 
are met. The Secretary shall consult with the Commonwealth of Virginia, 
the State of Maryland, and the District of Columbia from time to time 
on the operating, maintenance, and rehabilitation needs of the bridge.
    (b) Coordination of Agreement.--Sections 2(A), 2(B), and 2(C) of 
the agreement of April 19, 1985, between the Secretary of 
Transportation, the Commonwealth of Virginia, the State of Maryland, 
and the District of Columbia, related to the assignment of 
responsibility for the operation and maintenance of the bridge shall 
remain in effect.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF FUND.

    (a) In General.--The contract authority, and associated 
obligational authority, provided by section 412 of the National Highway 
System Designation Act of 1995 (112 Stat. 159-160) and section 110 of 
title 23, United States Code, for the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge 
shall be designated as the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge Preservation 
Fund (in this section referred to as the ``Fund'') and shall be 
maintained as such within the Department of Transportation.
    (b) Uses of the Fund.--The Fund shall be available to the Secretary 
for the maintenance, rehabilitation, and expansion of the existing 
Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge for the purpose of keeping the bridge in 
a condition sufficient to facilitate interstate traffic in an efficient 
and safe manner. Amounts in the Fund shall only be available for those 
portions of the bridge that are owned by the Federal Government.
    (c) Replenishment of the Fund.--Before October 1 of each fiscal 
year, the Secretary shall estimate the balance in the Fund for such 
fiscal year. If the balance is projected to be below $50,000,000, the 
Secretary shall deduct from apportionments made to the Commonwealth of 
Virginia and the State of Maryland under section 104 of title 23, 
United States Code, sufficient contract authority and obligation 
authority to restore the projected Fund balance to $50,000,000. The 
obligation authority deducted shall be available until expended.
    (d) Annual Report.--The Secretary shall prepare and transmit to 
Congress an annual report on the condition of the bridge.

SEC. 4. TRANSPORTATION PLAN.

    (a) Development.--The Secretary of Transportation, the Commonwealth 
of Virginia, the State of Maryland, and the District of Columbia shall 
develop a transportation plan for the Capital Beltway corridor 
(Interstate Route 495) served by the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge 
project. The plan shall establish what level of high occupancy vehicle 
lanes and transit service should be provided in the corridor and how 
such service should be accommodated on a replacement bridge.
    (b) Consultation.--The plan shall be developed in consultation with 
appropriate local jurisdictions and metropolitan planning 
organizations.
    (c) Funding.--The cost of developing the plan may be paid from the 
Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge Preservation Fund.

SEC. 5. CONSTRUCTION OF REPLACEMENT BRIDGE.

    (a) In General.--Upon certification to Congress by the Secretary of 
Transportation that all of the following conditions have been met, the 
balance in the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge Preservation Fund shall 
be available for the construction of a replacement for the existing 
Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge:
            (1) The transportation plan required under section 4 has 
        been completed and approved by the Secretary, the Governors of 
        Virginia and Maryland, and the mayor of the District of 
        Columbia.
            (2) Title to the existing bridge has been transferred from 
        the Federal Government to the Commonwealth of Virginia or the 
        State of Maryland, or both.
            (3) The Commonwealth of Virginia and the State of Maryland 
        have developed a finance plan to pay for all costs of the 
        replacement bridge project in excess of the current Federal 
        payment provided by the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st 
        Century and have signed an agreement with the Secretary to pay 
        for all cost overruns to the finance plan. The plan shall give 
        priority to the use of such Federal payment for the bridge 
        component of the project.
    (b) Waiver Authority.--In developing a replacement bridge and its 
approaches under subsection (a), the Secretary upon petition by the 
States of Virginia and Maryland, may waive any requirement of title 23, 
United States Code, other than sections 113 and 138 of such title, that 
the States have determined to cause unreasonable increases in the cost 
of the project.

SEC. 6. SENSE OF THE CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the $900,000,000 Federal payment in the Transportation 
        Equity Act for the 21st Century to replace the Woodrow Wilson 
        Memorial Bridge is the final Federal contribution for that 
        project;
            (2) any of the Federal payment remaining after completion 
        of the replacement bridge shall be available to pay for costs 
        associated with construction of approaches to the bridge; and
            (3) all project costs not associated with the bridge 
        component are the responsibility of the Commonwealth of 
        Virginia and the State of Maryland as was the case with the 
        construction of the existing bridge.

SEC. 7. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.

    Section 412 of the National Highway System Designation Act of 1995 
(112 Stat. 159-160) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(1) by striking ``of planning'' and 
        all that follows through the period at the end of such 
        subsection and inserting ``of maintenance and rehabilitation by 
        the Secretary of the existing Woodrow Wilson Memorial 
        Bridge.''; and
            (2) by striking subsection (c).

SEC. 8. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    This Act and the amendments made by this Act shall take effect 
September 30, 2000, and shall apply to fiscal years beginning after 
such date.
                                 <all>