[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 26 (Wednesday, February 12, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2343-S2345]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. BINGAMAN (for himself, Mr. Craig, Mrs. Lincoln, and Mr. 
        Cochran):
  S. 365. A bill to amend title 23, United States Code, to establish a 
program to make allocations to States for projects to expand 2-lane 
highways in rural areas to 4-lane highways; to the Committee on 
Environment and Public Works.
  Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, I rise today with my colleague, the 
distinguished senior Senator from Idaho, Senator Craig, to introduce 
the Rural Four-Lane Highway Safety and Development Act of 2003. We are 
pleased to be joined by Senators Lincoln and Cochran in sponsoring the 
bill.
  The purpose of this bipartisan legislation is to ensure that States 
have the resources they need to upgrade major two-lane roads across the 
Nation to high-quality four-lane divided highways. The goals of this 
bill are to improve the safety of our most dangerous highways and to 
stimulate economic development in rural areas.
  I think most Senators would agree that the Dwight D. Eisenhower 
National System of Interstate and Defense Highways is one of the 
transportation marvels of the 20th century. The system's 46,000 miles 
of divided highways interconnect virtually every major urban area in 
the Nation. The system represents one of the most efficient and safest 
highway systems in the world.
  Unfortunately, when the Interstate System was planned, it left many 
rural communities and smaller urban areas without direct links to the 
high-quality transportation network that the interstate highways 
provide. Many of these smaller and rural communities continue to suffer 
economically because of the lack of high-quality four-lane highways.
  To address this issue, in 1995 Congress developed the concept of a 
National Highway System as a way of extending the benefits of an 
efficient highway network to all areas of the country. Congress 
designated the National Highway System to help focus Federal resources 
on the Nation's most important roads.
  Today there are about 160,000 miles on the National Highway System, 
including all of the interstate highways and all other routes that are 
important to the Nation's economy, defense, and general mobility. The 
NHS comprises only 4 percent of the Nation's roads, but carries more 
than 40 percent of all highway traffic, 75 percent of heavy truck 
traffic and 90 percent of tourist traffic.
  The NHS reaches nearly every part of the Nation. According to the 
Federal Highway Administration, about 90 percent of America's 
population lives within 5 miles of an NHS route. All urban areas with a 
population of more than 50,000, and 93 percent with a population of 
between 5,000 and 50,000, are within 5 miles of the NHS. Counties with 
NHS highways have 99 percent of

[[Page S2344]]

all jobs, including 99 percent of all manufacturing jobs, 97 percent of 
mining jobs, and 93 percent of agricultural jobs.
  The NHS is the critical transportation link for most of our Nation's 
rural areas. The Federal Highway Administration estimates that, of the 
160,000 miles now on the National Highway System, fully 75 percent, or 
119,000 miles, are in rural areas. Of the 1.2 trillion total vehicle 
miles traveled in 2000 on NHS roads, about 60 percent were in rural 
areas.
  I hope all Senators will agree that improving highway safety should 
be our top priority. When it comes to highway safety, the fact is that 
travel on four-lane roads is safer than two-lane roads. This is 
especially true in rural areas. According to the Bureau of 
Transportation Statistics, in 1998 the rate of traffic fatalities on 
all rural roads was 2.39 per 100-million vehicle miles; however, the 
rate on rural interstate highways was half as high--only 1.23 per 100 
million vehicle-miles.
  The reason for the lower fatality rate on rural interstate highways 
should be obvious. When a road has only one lane in each direction, 
trucks and other slow-moving vehicles increase the hazard of passing. 
Vehicles turning on or off a two-lane road can also increase risk. A 
divided four-lane highway greatly reduces these perils.
  Of the 119,000 miles of rural NHS roads, about 33,000 miles are 
interstates and another 28,000 miles have been upgraded to four or more 
lanes. The remaining 58,000 miles--more than half of this rural highway 
network--are still only two-lane roads with no central divider. These 
are the most dangerous roads on the National Highway System.
  In my State of New Mexico, we have made some progress toward 
upgrading our rural two-lane highways to four lanes. In recent years, 
US550 from Bernalillo to Bloomfield, US285 from Interstate 40 to 
Carlsbad, and a key segment of US54 from El Paso to Alamogordo have 
been widened to four lanes. In addition, upgrading of US70 from Las 
Cruces to Clovis is nearly completed. But much more remains to be done.
  New Mexico has 2,647 miles of rural roads in the NHS. Eight hundred 
and ninety-two of these NHS miles are interstates. Of the balance of 
New Mexico's NHS highways, 1,755 miles are in the rural parts of my 
State, especially Chaves, Colfax, Eddy, Lincoln, Guadalupe, Otero, 
Quay, San Juan, and Union Counties. And almost 70 percent--1,217 
miles--of New Mexico's rural NHS highways remain only two-lane roads. 
These two-lane roads are major transportation routes with heavy truck 
and commercial traffic. In 2000, a total of 10.3 billion vehicle miles 
were traveled on New Mexico's NHS highways, and about one quarter, or 
2.7 billion miles, were traveled on these rural NHS roads.
  Unfortunately, there are only very limited funds available to upgrade 
the most important two-lane rural NHS roads to four-lane highways. 
According to a recent GAO study, over two-thirds of all Federal highway 
funding between 1992 and 2000 has gone either to roads in urban areas 
or to interstate highways. Consequently, there is a continuing 
shortfall in Federal highway funding needed to upgrade the most 
important rural two-lane roads. Our bill will help address the 
shortfall so that more rural segments of the NHS can be improved to 
four-lane divided highways.
  As in many States, New Mexico's rural counties strongly believe their 
economic future depends on access to safe and efficient four-lane 
highways. Basic transportation infrastructure is one of the critical 
elements for companies choosing where to locate. Truck drivers and the 
traveling public prefer the safety and efficiency of a four-lane 
divided highway.
  Thus one of the top priorities for rural cities and counties in my 
State is to complete the four-lane upgrade of such key routes as US54 
from Tularosa to Nara Visa, US62/180 from Carlsbad to the Texas state 
line, US64/87 from Clayton to Raton, and US666 from north of Gallup to 
Shiprock. These two-lane rural routes in New Mexico not only bear some 
of the State's heaviest truck and automobile traffic, but also are some 
of the State's most dangerous roads. In fact, US666 is considered one 
of the most dangerous two-lane highways in the Nation.
  New Mexico is not alone among western states in needing to upgrade 
two-lane roads on the National Highway System. For example, Texas has 
almost 3,500 miles of rural two-lane NHS roads. Montana has 2,469 
miles, Kansas has 2,293, Nebraska 1,964, Wyoming 1,924, Minnesota 
1,897, and Missouri 1,853 miles.
  In the East, where States are smaller, many NHS routes remain only 
two lanes. In Vermont, 78 percent of rural NHS roads are only two 
lanes, in New Hampshire it's 84 percent and 99 percent in Maine.
  I do believe it is time Congress took action to improve the safety of 
travelers on the highest priority rural two-lane roads. Last year, I 
secured nearly $1 million in Federal funding to begin the upgrade of 
US64/87 between Clayton and Raton, which is part of the Ports-to-Plains 
High Priority Corridor on the National Highway System.

  In addition, last week Senator Roberts and I introduced S. 290, which 
designates U.S. Highway 54 from El Paso, Texas, through New Mexico, 
Texas, and Oklahoma to Wichita, Kansas, as the SPIRIT High Priority 
Corridor. Our bipartisan bill has four cosponsors. A high-priority 
corridor designation provides no additional Federal funding, but helps 
focus attention on the need to upgrade the nation's major two-lane 
routes.
  The purpose of the bill we are introducing today, the Rural Four-Lane 
Highway Safety and Development Act of 2003, is to provide direct 
Federal funding to States to upgrade existing two-lane roads in rural 
areas to safe and efficient four-lane divided highways. The States 
would determine which two-lane roads they wanted to upgrade. To be 
eligible for funding, the highway must be on the National Highway 
System or a congressionally designated High Priority Corridor. Our bill 
gives funding priority to upgrading the most dangerous two-lane 
highways, routes most affected by increased traffic as a result of 
NAFTA, highways that have high levels of commercial traffic, and 
projects that will help stimulate regional economic growth. Total 
funding for six years is $1.8 billion from the highway trust fund.
  My State bears a substantial burden in the maintenance and upgrading 
of its portion of critical national highways. New Mexico has 3.3 
percent of the Nation's land area, but only 6 tenths of one percent of 
the population. We have 2.2 percent of all of the interstate highway 
miles and 1.7 percent of all other NHS miles. At the same time, as a 
border State, New Mexico is common route for trucks crossing the border 
with Mexico and heading to or coming from the east and west coasts. It 
is likely that the upgrading to four lanes of the most important NHS 
highways in New Mexico might not occur without the supplemental funding 
provided in my bill.
  I continue to believe strongly in the important role of highway 
infrastructure to economic development. Even in this age of the so-
called ``new'' economy and high-speed digital communications, roads 
continue to link our communities together and to carry the commercial 
goods and products our citizens need. Safe and efficient highways are 
especially important to citizens in the rural parts of our country.
  I recognize that the funding level in this bill is inadequate to 
upgrade all of the remaining two-lane routes on the NHS in the next six 
years. Upgrading an existing two-lane road to a full four-lane divided 
highway can cost upward of one million dollars per mile.
  Moreover, some of the existing two-lane roads probably don't have 
sufficient traffic to justify upgrading at this time. In addition, some 
two-lane NHS routes pass through scenic areas where it may not be 
appropriate to upgrade to four lanes. However, I do believe the funding 
in this bill will take us a long way toward ensuring the most critical 
projects are completed in the next six years.
  This year Congress will take up the reauthorization of the 
comprehensive six-year transportation bill, TEA-21. We are introducing 
this bipartisan bill today to help ensure that the issue of the safety 
of rural two-lane NHS routes receives the attention it deserves as the 
debate on reauthorization begins. I look forward to working with the 
chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, Senator Inhofe, 
and Senator Jeffords, the ranking member, as well as Senators Bond and

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Reid of the Transportation, Infrastructure and Nuclear Safety 
Subcommittee, to find a way to ensure additional federal resources are 
in place to hasten the work of upgrading rural two-lane NHS roads to 
safe, efficient four-lane divided highways.
  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. 365

       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 ``Rural Four-Lane Highway 
     Safety and Development Act of 2003''.

     SEC. 2. RURAL 4-LANE HIGHWAY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.

       (a) In General.--Title 23, United States Code, is amended 
     by inserting after section 138 the following:

     ``Sec. 139. Rural 4-lane highway development program

       ``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
       ``(1) 2-lane highway.--The term `2-lane highway' means a 
     highway that has not more than 1 lane of traffic in each 
     direction.
       ``(2) 4-lane highway.--The term `4-lane highway' means a 
     highway that has 2 lanes of traffic in each direction.
       ``(b) Establishment of Program.--The Secretary shall 
     establish and carry out a program to make allocations to 
     States for projects, consisting of planning, design, 
     environmental review, and construction, to expand eligible 2-
     lane highways in rural areas to 4-lane highways.
       ``(c) Applications.--To be eligible to receive an 
     allocation under this section, a State shall submit to the 
     Secretary an application at such time, in such form, and 
     containing such information as the Secretary may require.
       ``(d) Eligible Highways.--The Secretary may make 
     allocations under this section only for projects to expand 2-
     lane highways that are on--
       ``(1) the National Highway System; or
       ``(2) a high priority corridor identified under section 
     1105(c) of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency 
     Act of 1991 (105 Stat. 2032).
       ``(e) Priority in Selection.--In making allocations under 
     this section, the Secretary shall give priority to--
       ``(1) projects to improve highway safety on the most 
     dangerous rural 2-lane highways on the National Highway 
     System;
       ``(2) projects carried out on rural highways with respect 
     to which the annual volume of commercial vehicle traffic--
       ``(A) has increased since the date of enactment of the 
     North American Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act (107 
     Stat. 2057); or
       ``(B) is expected to increase after the date of enactment 
     of this section;
       ``(3) projects carried out on rural highways with high 
     levels of commercial truck traffic; and
       ``(4) projects on highway corridors that will help 
     stimulate regional economic growth and development in rural 
     areas.
       ``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated from the Highway Trust Fund (other than 
     the Mass Transit Account) to carry out this section 
     $300,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2004 through 2009.''.
       (b) Conforming Amendment.--The analysis for chapter 1 of 
     title 23, United States Code, is amended by inserting after 
     the item relating to section 138 the following:

``139. Rural 4-lane highway development program.''.
                                 ______