[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 93 (Friday, June 27, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6728-S6729]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
By Mr. BOND:
S. 975. A bill to amend title 23, United States Code, to extend the
bridge discretionary program, and for other purposes; to the Committee
on Environment and Public Works.
THE SAFE BRIDGES ACT OF 1997
Mr. BOND. Mr. President, this bill I am introducing today is a bridge
discretionary bill. We cannot forget in our reauthorization of the
Nation's transportation policy the importance of maintaining our
bridges.
Missouri has approximately 23,000 bridges in total.
Unfortunately, the State of Missouri, according to Department of
Transportation statistics ranks sixth from the bottom on conditions of
bridges in this country. This is a deplorable place for the State of
Missouri to be.
We must start taking better care of our roads and bridges and begin
building roads for the 21st century--with new technologies, new
materials, and better designs.
According to the American Association of State Highway and
Transportation Officials America must address the deficiencies of over
11,000 bridges per year just to maintain current levels of condition.
According to the Department of Transportation, the cost to improve
bridge conditions would require an annual investment of $8.9 billion.
Let us not lose the hard-won gains in our transportation
infrastructure. Let's not squander our investment.
Postponing taking care of our bridge needs only means that our
investment declines and to make repairs later will cost more. The
cliche does say ``Pay now or pay More later.''
Taking care of our transportation infrastructure can be compared to
taking care of your home. If you fail to fix the leaky roof, fail to
re-paint, fail to adequately insulate, your costs increase and the
value of your home declines.
If we fail to maintain and reinvest in our Nation's bridges not only
does the value of our investment decline, but lives are lost and our
economic prosperity is jeopardized.
I am pleased to work with my dear friend and House colleague,
Congresswoman Emerson to introduce this bill in both Houses--the Safe
Bridges Act of 1997.
The Safe Bridges Act of 1997 is our marker to stress to our
colleagues from around the country that bridges are an important and
necessary component to this country's transportation system.
Properly maintained and constructed bridges help save lives and
provide for the efficient movement of people and goods in this country.
If we want to secure our foundation--we must renew our investment.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be
printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the
Record, as follows:
S. 975
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 ``Safe Bridges Act of 1997''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that--
(1) bridges are important and necessary components of the
surface transportation system of the United States;
(2) bridges are an important factor in the efficient
movement of people and goods;
(3) properly maintained and constructed bridges help save
lives;
(4) more than 25 percent of the bridges on the Interstate
System are classified as deficient or in poor condition; and
(5) an investment of more than $5,000,000,000 annually is
needed to maintain the bridges that are in existence as of
the date of enactment of this Act.
SEC. 3. BRIDGE DISCRETIONARY PROGRAM.
(a) Extension of Program.--Section 144(g) of title 23,
United States Code, is amended by striking paragraph (1) and
inserting the following:
``(1) Discretionary bridge program.--
``(A) Set aside.--For each fiscal year, before any
apportionment is made under subsection (e), the Secretary
shall set aside $500,000,000 from the funds authorized to
carry out this section.
``(B) Use of set aside.--The amount set aside under
subparagraph (A) shall be available for obligation in the
same manner and to the same extent as the sums apportioned
under subsection (e), except that--
``(i) the amount shall be available for obligation at the
discretion of the Secretary;
``(ii) for each fiscal year, $8,500,000 of the amount shall
be available to carry out section 144A;
``(iii) for each fiscal year, $12,500,000 of the amount
shall be available to carry out section 144B;
``(iv) for each fiscal year, $15,000,000 of the amount
shall be available to carry out section 144C; and
``(v) the remainder of the amount shall be available in
accordance with paragraph (2).
``(C) Other state funds.--Funds made available to a State
under subparagraph (B) shall not be considered in determining
the apportionments and allocations that the State shall be
entitled to receive, under the other provisions of this title
and other law, of amounts in the Highway Trust Fund.''.
(b) Highway Timber Bridge Research and Construction
Program.--
(1) Transfer to title 23.--Section 1039 of the Intermodal
Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (23 U.S.C. 144
note; 105 Stat. 1990) is--
(A) transferred to title 23, United States Code;
(B) redesignated as section 144A of that title; and
(C) inserted after section 144 of that title.
(2) Conforming amendments.--
(A) Section 144A of title 23, United States Code (as added
by paragraph (1)), is amended--
(i) by striking the section heading and inserting the
following:
``Sec. 144A. Highway timber bridge research and construction
program'';
(ii) in subsection (e)--
(I) by striking ``of title 23, United States Code, for each
of fiscal years 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1997'' and
inserting ``for each of fiscal years 1998 through 2003''; and
(II) in paragraph (2), by striking ``($7,000,000 in the
case of fiscal year 1992)''; and
(iii) by striking subsection (f).
(B) The analysis for chapter 1 of title 23, United States
Code, is amended by inserting after the item relating to
section 144 the following:
``144A. Highway timber bridge research and construction program.''.
SEC. 4. INNOVATIVE HIGHWAY STEEL BRIDGE RESEARCH AND
CONSTRUCTION PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--Chapter 1 of title 23, United States Code,
is amended by inserting after section 144A (as added by
section 3(b)(1)) the following:
``Sec. 144B. Innovative highway steel bridge research and
construction program
``(a) Research Grants.--The Secretary shall make grants to
other Federal agencies, universities, private businesses,
nonprofit organizations, and research or engineering entities
to carry out research concerning--
``(1) the development of new, cost-effective highway steel
bridge applications;
``(2) the development of engineering design criteria for
steel products and materials for use in highway bridges and
structures to improve steel design properties;
``(3) the development of highway steel bridges and
structures that will withstand natural disasters;
``(4) the development of products, materials, and systems
for use in highway steel bridges that demonstrate new
alternatives to current processes and procedures with respect
to performance in various environments; and
``(5) rehabilitation measures that demonstrate effective,
safe, and reliable methods for the use of steel in
rehabilitating highway bridges and structures.
``(b) Technology and Information Transfer.--The Secretary
shall take such action as is necessary to ensure that the
information and technology resulting from research conducted
under subsection (a) is made available to State and local
transportation departments and other interests as specified
by the Secretary.
``(c) Construction Grants.--
``(1) Authority.--The Secretary shall make grants to States
for projects for the construction of steel bridges and
structures on Federal-aid highways.
``(2) Applications.--
``(A) Submission.--A State that desires to receive a grant
under this subsection shall submit an application to the
Secretary.
``(B) Contents.--The application shall be in such form and
contain such information as the Secretary may require by
regulation.
[[Page S6729]]
``(3) Approval criteria.--The Secretary shall select and
approve applications for grants under this subsection based
on whether the project that is the subject of the grant--
``(A) has a design that has both initial and long-term
structural integrity;
``(B) has an innovative design, product, material, or
system that has the potential for increasing knowledge, cost
effectiveness, durability, and future use of the innovation;
and
``(C) uses practices and construction techniques that
comply with all environmental regulations.
``(d) Federal Share.--The Federal share of the cost of a
research or construction project under this section shall be
80 percent.
``(e) Funding.--
``(1) In general.--From the funds reserved from
apportionment under section 144(g)(1) for each of fiscal
years 1998 through 2003--
``(A) $2,500,000 shall be available to the Secretary to
carry out subsections (a) and (b); and
``(B) $10,000,000 shall be available to the Secretary to
carry out subsection (c).
``(2) Availability.--Sums made available under paragraph
(1) shall remain available until expended.''.
(b) Conforming Amendment.--The analysis for chapter 1 of
title 23, United States Code, is amended by inserting after
the item relating to section 144A (as added by section
3(b)(2)(B)) the following:
``144B. Innovative highway steel bridge research and construction
program.''.
SEC. 5. CARBON COMPOSITE BRIDGE RETROFIT RESEARCH AND
DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--Chapter 1 of title 23, United States Code,
is amended by inserting after section 144B (as added by
section 4(a)) the following:
``Sec. 144C. Carbon composite bridge retrofit research and
demonstration program
``(a) Research Grants.--The Secretary shall make grants to
other Federal agencies and to universities, private
businesses, nonprofit organizations, and research or
engineering entities, in the United States, to carry out
research concerning--
``(1) the development of new, economical carbon composite
highway bridge retrofit systems;
``(2) the development of engineering design criteria for
carbon composite products for use in highway bridges in order
to improve methods for characterizing carbon composite design
properties;
``(3) deployment systems for the incorporation of carbon
composites that demonstrate alternative processes for the
seismic retrofit of bridges and the rehabilitation of
structurally deficient bridge structures;
``(4) alternative carbon composite transportation system
structures that demonstrate the development of applications
for lighting support, sound barriers, culverts, and retaining
walls in highway infrastructure; and
``(5) additional rehabilitation measures that demonstrate
effective, safe, and reliable methods for rehabilitating
highway infrastructure with carbon composites.
``(b) Technology and Information Transfer.--The Secretary
shall take such action as is necessary to ensure that the
information and technology resulting from research conducted
under subsection (a) is made available to State and local
transportation departments and other interests as specified
by the Secretary.
``(c) Construction Grants.--
``(1) Authority.--The Secretary shall make grants to States
for projects for the reconstruction or seismic retrofit of
bridges on the National Highway System.
``(2) Applications.--
``(A) Submission.--A State that desires to receive a grant
under this subsection shall submit an application to the
Secretary.
``(B) Contents.--The application shall be in such form and
contain such information as the Secretary may require by
regulation.
``(3) Approval criteria.--The Secretary shall select and
approve applications for grants under this subsection based
on whether the project that is the subject of the grant--
``(A) has a design that has both initial and long-term
structural and environmental integrity;
``(B) has a design that uses carbon composite materials;
``(C) has an innovative design that has the potential for
increasing knowledge, cost effectiveness, and future use of
the design;
``(D) will ensure the structural integrity of a major river
crossing in the New Madrid region during a seismic event;
``(E) will extend the service life of a structurally
deficient bridge by at least 15 years; and
``(F) uses bridge retrofit technology and material that are
produced in the United States.
``(d) Federal Share.--The Federal share of the cost of a
research or construction project under this section shall be
80 percent.
``(e) Funding.--
``(1) In general.--From the funds reserved from
apportionment under section 144(g)(1) for each of fiscal
years 1998 through 2003--
``(A) $1,000,000 shall be available to the Secretary to
carry out subsections (a) and (b); and
``(B) $14,000,000 shall be available to the Secretary to
carry out subsection (c).
``(2) Availability.--Sums made available under paragraph
(1) shall remain available until expended.''.
(b) Conforming Amendment.--The analysis for chapter 1 of
title 23, United States Code, is amended by inserting after
the item relating to section 144B (as added by section 4(b))
the following:
``144C. Carbon composite bridge retrofit research and demonstration
program.''.
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