[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 27 (Thursday, February 13, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2488-S2491]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. BINGAMAN:
  S. 411. A bill to amend title 49, United States Code, to establish a 
university transportation center to be known as the ``Southwest Bridge 
Research Center''; to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
  Mr. BINGAMAN. Madam President, I rise to introduce legislation that I 
believe will go a long way in helping to improve the safety and 
durability of the Nation's highway bridges. Today, with great pleasure 
I am introducing the Southwest Bridge Research Center Establishment Act 
of 2003.
  The purpose of this bill is to authorize the Secretary of 
Transportation to establish a new University Transportation Center 
focused on the safety of highway bridges. The new Southwest Bridge 
Research Center is a cooperative effort between New Mexico State 
University and the Oklahoma Transportation Center, comprising the 
University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University. The new center 
will lead the Nation in the research and development of technologies 
for bridge testing and monitoring, procedures for ensuring bridge 
safety and security, and training in methods of bridge inspection.
  Our highway network is a central component of our economy and 
fundamental to our freedom and quality of life. America's mobility is 
the engine of our free market system. Transportation via cars, buses, 
and trucks plays a central role in our basic quality of life. Much of 
the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the materials for our homes and 
offices, comes to us over the 4 million miles of our road network.
  One critical element of our highway network is the highway bridges 
that span streams, rivers, and canyons of our cities and rural areas. 
Bridges also help traffic flow smoothly by carrying one road over 
another.
  Most highway bridges are easy to overlook. Notable exceptions are New 
England's covered bridges, the well-known Golden Gate Bridge, and the 
spectacular Rio Grande Gorge Bridge near Taos, New Mexico. The fact is, 
according to the Federal Highway Administration, we have about 590,000 
highway bridges in this country that are more than 20-feet long. The 
total bridge-deck area of these 590,000 bridges is an amazing 120 
square miles, or slightly smaller in area than the entire city limits 
of Albuquerque, New Mexico, roughly twice the size of the entire 
District of Columbia, or five times the area of New York's Manhattan 
Island. The State of Texas leads

[[Page S2489]]

the Nation with over 48,000 bridges, about ten percent of the total. 
Ohio is second with about 28,000 highway bridges.
  A little known, and disturbing fact about these 590,000 highway 
bridges is that nearly 84,000, or 14 percent, are considered to be 
structurally deficient according to the most recent statistics from the 
FHWA. The percent of structurally deficient bridges varies widely among 
the 50 States. For example, this chart shows some of the States with 
some of the highest percentage of deficient bridges.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                             Percent of
                                                Number of   structurally
             State                Number of   structurally    deficient
                                   bridges      deficient   bridges  (in
                                                 bridges      percent)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oklahoma                              22,708         7,605          33.5
Missouri                              23,604         6,083          25.8
Rhode Island                             749           187          25.0
Pennsylvania                          22,092         5,418          24.5
South Dakota                           6,001         1,398          23.3
Mississippi                           16,825         3,694          22.0
Iowa                                  25,030         5,036          20.1
North Dakota                           4,517           871          19.3
Michigan                              10,631         2,012          18.9
Louisiana                             13,426         2,425          18.1
Alabama                               15,641         2,677          17.1
North Carolina                        16,991         2,513          14.8
Kansas                                25,638         3,465          13.5
Ohio                                  27,952         3,304         11.8
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI) System, December 2001.

  Structurally deficient bridges are a particular concern in rural 
areas of our country. According to FHWA's 2002 edition of its 
Conditions and Performance Report to Congress, 16 percent of rural 
bridges are structurally deficient compared to only 10 percent of urban 
bridges. The report estimates the average cost required to maintain the 
existing 590,000 highway bridges is $7.3 billion per year.
  Another surprising fact about our Nation's highway bridges is their 
age. About one-third of all highway bridges are more than 50 years old, 
and an amazing 10,000 bridges are at least 100 years old. About 4,000 
of these century-old bridges are currently rated as structurally 
deficient.
  I do believe the number of deficient bridges in this country should 
be a concern to all Senators. Ensuring that States and local 
communities have the funds they need to help correct these deficient 
bridges will be one of my priorities when Congress reauthorizes TEA-21. 
However, because there may not be sufficient Federal and State funding 
to address all of the deficient bridges, it will be important to 
identify the bridges that are most in need of replacement or 
rehabilitation.
  To ensure the most efficient use of limited resources, Congress 
should also address the need for new technologies to help States 
monitor the condition of the Nation's 590,000 highway bridges and 
determine priorities for repair or replacement. Such monitoring 
technologies, or ``smart bridges,'' should be quick, efficient, and not 
damage the bridge in any way. I am very pleased that New Mexico State 
University is one of the Nation's pioneers in the development of non-
destructive methods of determining the physical condition of highway 
bridges. Such smart bridges can record and transmit information on 
their current structural condition as well as on the traffic crossing 
them.
  In 1998, NMSU installed 67 fiber-optic sensors on an existing steel 
bridge on Interstate 10 in Las Cruces. This award-winning project was 
the first application of fiber-optic sensors to highway bridges. More 
recently, in 2000, sensors were incorporated directly in a concrete 
bridge during construction to monitor the curing of the concrete; the 
bridge crosses the Rio Puerco on Interstate 40, west of Albuquerque. 
NMSU has an actual 40-foot ``bridge'' in a laboratory on campus to 
allow studies of instrumentation and data collection.
  I ask unanimous consent that two articles describing NMSU's 
accomplishments on smart bridge technology be printed in the Record, 
exhibits one and two.
  NMSU is also a leader in other areas of bridge inspection. It has 
provided training for bridge inspectors for over 30 years. It has also 
developed expertise in using a virtual reality approach to document a 
bridge's physical condition.
  At the same time, Oklahoma State University leads the Nation in the 
development of the Geothermal Smart Bridge System, which uses energy 
stored in the earth itself to help keep bridges free of ice and snow. 
OSU is also performing cutting edge research on high-performance 
structural materials frequently used in bridges including concrete, 
steel, and timber.
  At the University of Oklahoma, a multidisciplinary team of 
researchers is working to develop a ``smart'' vehicle-bridge system 
that is expected to reduce the impact of moving trucks on bridge 
structures, thereby increasing the lifespan of highway bridges. The UO 
team is also expert in the development of high-performance concrete and 
of sensors for non-destructive testing.
  Of course, the Oklahoma Transportation Center was also heavily 
involved last year in the rebuilding of the Interstate 40 bridge over 
the Arkansas River near Webbers Falls, OK, after it collapsed when 
struck by a barge. The bridge was reopened to traffic only 64 days 
after the accident.
  This is just a glimpse at the high quality bridge research at these 
three universities. All three institutions are widely recognized as 
national leaders in all aspects of bridge research and technology. I 
believe it is fully appropriate for these three nationally recognized 
universities to collaborate in operating the Southwest Bridge Research 
Center.
  The bill I am introducing today authorizes the Secretary of 
Transportation to establish and operate the Southwest Bridge Research 
Center at New Mexico State University in collaboration with the 
Oklahoma Transportation Center. I do believe the three universities 
have earned this honor. In fact, in some ways, Congress has already 
recognized their fine work of the three centers. For example, the 
University of Oklahoma was allotted $3.5 million in TEA-21 for research 
work on intelligent stiffeners for bridge stress reduction and Oklahoma 
State received $3.5 million for work on the geothermal heat pump smart 
bridge program.
  I am pleased to have also played a part. At my request, Congress 
provided $600,000 in 2001 for bridge research at New Mexico State 
University and an additional $250,000 in the current fiscal year.
  The specific purpose of the Southwest Bridge Research Center will be 
to contribute to improving the performance of the nation's highway 
bridges. The center will emphasize five goals: 1. Increasing the number 
of skilled individuals entering the field of transportation; 2. 
improving the monitoring of the structural health of highway bridges; 
3. developing innovative technologies for testing and assessment of 
bridges; 4. developing technologies and procedures for ensuring bridge 
safety, reliability, and security; and 5. providing training in the 
methods of bridge inspection and evaluation.
  Building on the three universities' research work, the Southwest 
Bridge Research Center will develop a strong educational component, 
including degree opportunities in bridge engineering at both the 
undergraduate and graduate levels. In addition, the center will have a 
cooperative certificate program for training and professional 
development. Distance education technology and computer-based learning 
will allow programs to be offered at any of the universities.
  The bill provides $3 million in funding from the Highway Trust Fund 
to operate the center.
  New Mexico State University and the Oklahoma Transportation Center 
have applied their vast talents, tools, and techniques to solving 
technological problems with highway bridges for over 30 years. The team 
is well established and maintains cutting-edge expertise. The members 
of the team are recognized and respected at the national and 
international levels through accomplishments in bridge testing, 
monitoring, and evaluation.
  I ask all senators to support the designation of a new Southwest 
Bridge Research Center. I look forward to working this year with the 
Chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, Senator Inhofe, 
and Senator Jeffords, the ranking member, to incorporate this bill into 
the full 6-year reauthorization of the transportation bill.
  I ask unanimous consent that a letter of support from the three 
universities and a letter from Rhonda Faught, the Secretary of New 
Mexico's State Highway and Transportation Department be printed in the 
Record. I also ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

[[Page S2490]]

                               Exhibit 1

                [From the Washington Post, May 18, 1998]

         Sensors Bridge Gap in Communication About Repair Needs

                          (By Louis Jacobson)

       Las Cruces, NM.--Hardly anyone in this burgeoning 
     southwestern city realizes it, but right behind the Las 
     Cruces Days Inn is a state-of-the-art experimental bridge. It 
     isn't very exciting to look at--in fact, a motorist whizzing 
     under Interstate 10 probably wouldn't notice anything 
     unusual. But the experiment's sponsors--including the Federal 
     Highway Administration, the National Science Foundation and 
     state highway departments--hope that it will eventually 
     revolutionize the way the Untied States maintains its half-
     million aging highway bridges.
       Undergirding the Las Cruces ``smart bridge'' is a series of 
     special sensors. It's not unusual for a bridge to be strung 
     with mechanical sensors to measure structural stresses, 
     particularly when a bridge is older and at higher risk of 
     long-term fatigue. But the Las Cruces sensors are embedded in 
     fiber-optic cables that--once the experiment is fully 
     underway--will be able to transmit their readings to bridge 
     officials in real time. In other words, weary bridges will 
     soon be able to telephone their weakened conditions directly 
     to the highway authorities so that bridge engineers can be 
     dispatched to head off catastrophe.
       ``We're looking at a very large bridge stock in the U.S. 
     that's in need of maintenance,'' says Rola Idriss, the civil 
     engineer at New Mexico State University who is monitoring the 
     I-10 experiment. ``Our idea was, how can we better inspect 
     our bridges, how can we better evaluate them and how can we 
     save money and time? The basic idea was to monitor them from 
     far away.''
       The fiber-optic cables used in the experiment were designed 
     by the Naval Research Laboratory. First, laser beams etch the 
     cables' cores with five-millimeter-long internal gauges, 
     spaced about two to three meters apart. Once the cable is 
     strung under the bridge and attached with epoxy, engineers 
     program the system so that light beams careen down the cable 
     at regular intervals. The degree of the light beams' bend 
     directly correlates with the degree of bridge stress. If the 
     results exceed a pre-calibrated bench mark, officials will be 
     alerted to check for weakness exactly where they need to. The 
     gauges can also be used to report general traffic patters, 
     aiding transportation planners as well as bridge inspectors.
       So far, the fiber-optic gauges have remained fastened 
     better than normal wire gauges have, Idriss says. More 
     important, the fiber simultaneously serves as a data 
     collector and transmitter. ``It was a very elegant way to get 
     away from the traditional method of using wires and 
     installation,'' Idriss says. ``You just hook it to a computer 
     and then let it cell phone the information home. The beauty 
     of it is that you don't have to be on the bridge. I could 
     monitor a bridge in Washington if I wanted to.''
       Though the bridge in Las Cruces--which Idriss describes as 
     an ordinary interstate bridge--was built in the 1970s, it has 
     already displayed some metal fatigue (a fact that was known 
     even before the smart bridge experiment was concocted). 
     ``It's not unusual to have that kind of fatigue, but the 
     bridge is not very old, so you want to know much more about 
     what's happening,'' she says. ``Now, we need to expand the 
     capability of the system by collecting from many more 
     sensors. It currently has 30, but we'd like to double that at 
     least.''
       Idriss--who grew up in a family of engineers in Beirut and 
     later became the first woman to earn a civil engineering PhD 
     from New Mexico State--acknowledges that both technical and 
     economic challenges remain. Her sensors cost about $50 to 
     $100 each, including the cost of the cable itself. The 
     benefits, she says, would come from freeing bridge inspectors 
     from many of their routine and time-consuming duties. At the 
     same time, highway departments could use their new data to 
     repair bridges more precisely and cost-efficiently than 
     today's information sources allow. ``If a fiber-optic gauge 
     system costs $30,000,'' she says, ``that's still far less 
     than a typical new bridge, which costs millions.''
       Even if that price tag eventually drops, highway officials 
     who aren't involved in the experiment suggest that the system 
     will be most appropriate for the minority of bridges that 
     officials already fret about.
       ``It seems like this system would be best for bridges that 
     need special attention,'' says David Hensing, deputy 
     executive director of the American Association of State 
     Highway and Transportation Officials. ``It's probably more 
     expensive than is necessary for 90 percent of America's 
     bridges. But for the other 5 or 10 percent, that kind of 
     instrumentation will get more years of life out of the bridge 
     and lead to more timely corrective action.''
       Bob Reilly, director of cooperative research programs at 
     the federal Transportation Research Board, which is part of 
     the National Research Council, concurs. ``I could image it 
     would be a very useful thing in rare cases, but my guess is 
     that it's not worth it for all bridges,'' he says.
       Richard Livingston, the Federal Highway Administration 
     official who is supplying Idriss with equipment and grant 
     money, suggests three types of bridges that are likeliest to 
     benefit: bridges that are already thought to be structurally 
     deficient, critical urban bridges that carry economically 
     vital traffic flows and newer bridge designs with which 
     engineers have little long-term experience.
       California transportation officials have expressed interest 
     in installing fiber-optic gauges in critical seismic zones. 
     Closer to home, the Washington area's Woodrow Wilson Bridge--
     a clogged and vital drawbridge on the Capital Beltway--could 
     be among the first to serve as a test site, if Congress 
     authorizes funding to do so.
       ``It would be able to help us schedule maintenance 
     activities in a more cost-effective way,'' says Louis 
     Triandafilou, a Baltimore-based Federal Highway 
     Administration official who has been trying to broker the 
     Wilson Bridge deal. ``The Wilson Bridge is a good one to test 
     because it's a drawbridge and because it has a very high 
     traffic count, especially truck traffic, so you can get 
     information on how the bridge is affected by fatigue and 
     repetitive stress.''
       Given that it often takes four or five professionals a full 
     week to inspect just one bridge--and considering the big 
     back-log of bridges to inspect, including some whose crucial 
     parts aren't easy to reach--the experiment's advocates say 
     that the benefits of remote sensing can be substantial. ``The 
     real problem is that no one has ever done a cost-benefit 
     analysis,'' Livington says. ``It has increased cost, but it 
     may also have increased benefits.''
                                  ____


                               Exhibit 2

           [From the Public Roads magazine, Nov./Dec., 2002]

                        A Decade of Achievement

     (By Richard A. Livingston, Milton Mills, and Morton S. Oskard)

       Installation of sensor systems in bridges is increasingly 
     recognized as important for obtaining information on strains, 
     temperature, moisture, and other variables. The information 
     collected from such smart bridges can be used to confirm 
     design calculations, detect damage, and count traffic, among 
     other functions.
       An example of the sensor systems developed by the Advanced 
     Research program is the fiber-optic strain gauge based on 
     Bragg gratings. These gratings consist of alternating zones 
     of different indexes of refraction. The spacing of the layers 
     determines a specific wavelength of light that will be 
     reflected. The technology is the same as that used in the 
     broadband fiber-optic telecommunications systems now being 
     installed across the country.
       Since the fiber-optic sensor operates with light waves 
     rather than electrons, it has several advantages over 
     conventional electronic strain gauges: ruggedness, absence of 
     drift, and immunity to electromagnetic noise. It permits as 
     many as 100 gauges to be put on a single fiber as thin as a 
     human hair. The installation of the gauges is simplified, the 
     cabling requirement is reduced, and the cost-per-sensor is 
     lowered.
       Possible applications may require networks on the order of 
     1,000 sensors, or 1 kilosensor. Working under an interagency 
     agreement with the Naval Research Laboratory, which has 
     developed many fiber-optic sensors, the Advanced Research 
     program has demonstrated several applications of sensor 
     networks for structural monitoring.
       The first application, co-funded with the National Science 
     Foundation (NSF), resulted in the installation of a system of 
     67 calibrated fiber-optic sensors on an existing steel bridge 
     on Interstate 10 in Las Cruces, NM. This work was carried 
     out by New Mexico State University, with Dr. Rola Idriss 
     as the principal investigator.
       ``The research has shown the fiber-optic sensors to be a 
     powerful nondestructive evaluation tool,'' says Idriss. 
     ``Whether retrofitted to an existing structure or built into 
     a new smart bridge, they can yield a wealth of information 
     about the structure and the traffic crossing it.''
       The installation has generated several types of information 
     under random traffic loading, including girder deflections, 
     fundamental vibration frequencies, vehicle speed data, and 
     traffic flow on an hourly basis. To date, the Las Cruces 
     project has achieved notable success in its primary purpose 
     of investigating practical issues in the full-scale 
     application and regular operation of fiber-optic sensors on 
     highway structures. The project has been widely covered in 
     the media and received several awards.
       New Mexico State University applied the sensors to the 
     construction of a new concrete bridge in a project co-funded 
     by Advanced Research, NSF, and the New Mexico State Highway 
     and Transportation Department (NMSHTD). The mix design and 
     curing conditions now being used to make high-performance 
     concrete structures may produce unexpectedly high 
     temperatures and stresses during the casting of girders, 
     possibly leading to cracking and major structural failure. 
     Obtaining information on the internal conditions is difficult 
     with conventional temperature or strain gauges because of 
     their fragility.
       Forty fiber-optic long-gauge deformation and temperature 
     sensors were embedded in the concrete girders of the Rio 
     Puerco Bridge during casting. These sensors monitored the 
     prestress forces applied to the steel strands in the precast 
     concrete components during and after the steam curing period. 
     One finding was that some design codes considerably 
     overestimate the actual losses. NMSHTD now is planning to use 
     sensors routinely in the construction of concrete bridges in 
     the future. ``Building the sensors into new bridges,'' says 
     Idriss, ``enables us to evaluate new high-performance 
     materials and new designs. It also establishes a baseline for 
     long-term monitoring.''

[[Page S2491]]

       Several companies now offer Bragg fiber-optic sensor 
     systems on a commercial basis. Two States (Hawaii and New 
     Mexico) have received funding from the FHWA Innovative Bridge 
     Research and Construction Program. In addition, several other 
     States are considering installation of these systems on new 
     or existing bridges. Fiber-optic systems also have been 
     chosen as the method for measuring expansion in concrete 
     girders under the lithium treatment evaluation program. All 
     these developments indicate that fiber-optic sensor systems 
     have been transferred successfully from Advanced Research to 
     other FHWA programs.
                                  ____

                                           College of Engineering,


              Office of the Dean, New Mexico State University,

                                  Las Cruces, NM, January 8, 2003.
     Hon. Jeff Bingaman,
     U.S. Senator, Hart Building,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Bingaman: We are writing to express our 
     support for your bill to establish a bridge research center 
     (brc) as a cooperative effort of New Mexico State University 
     and the Oklahoma Transportation Center (Oklahoma State 
     University and the University of Oklahoma). NMSU and OTC 
     desire to work together in a spirit of cooperation as a 
     University Transportation Center. We are bonded together in a 
     desire to provide bridge research leadership for our 
     respective states and the nation.
       The purpose of the Bridge Research Center shall be to 
     contribute at a national level to a systems approach to 
     improving the overall performance of bridges. The BRC will 
     emphasize the following:
       1. Increase the number of highly skilled individuals 
     entering the field of transportation.
       2. Improve the monitoring of the structural health over the 
     life of bridges.
       3. Develop innovative technologies for bridge testing and 
     monitoring.
       4. Develop technologies and procedures for ensuring bridge 
     safety, reliability and security.
       5. Provide training in the methods for bridge inspection 
     and evaluation.
       The objective of the BRC is to carry out several programs 
     and activities. Included will be basic and applied research 
     with products judged by peers or other experts to advance the 
     body of knowledge for bridges. An educational program that 
     includes multidisciplinary course work and participation in 
     bridge research. Finally, an ongoing program of technology 
     transfer that makes research results available to potential 
     users in a form that can be implemented.
       NMSU and OTC have applied their talents, tools and 
     techniques to solving technological problems with bridges for 
     over 30 years. Our team is well established and maintains 
     cutting-edge expertise. Our team members are recognized and 
     respected at the national and international levels through 
     major accomplishments in bridge testing, monitoring and 
     evaluation.
       New Mexico State University has agreed to provide the 
     administrative leadership for the BRC. The research activity 
     of the BRC will be approximately equally divided between New 
     Mexico and Oklahoma.
       By the signatures of the representatives of each 
     institution, we pledge our support and commitment to the 
     partnership known as the Bridge Research Center.
     Gorman Gilbert,
       Civil and Environmental Engineering, Oklahoma State 
     University.
     Thomas L. Landers,
       Associated Dean, University of Oklahoma.
     Kenneth R. White,
       Interim Dean of Engineering, New Mexico State University.
                                  ____

                                          New Mexico State Highway


                                and Transportation Department,

                                   Santa Fe, NM, January 27, 2003.
     Hon. Jeff Bingaman,
     U.S. Senator, Hart Building,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Bingaman: I am writing to express my support 
     for your bill to establish a Bridge Research Center as a 
     cooperative effort of New Mexico State University and the 
     Oklahoma Transportation Center (Oklahoma State University and 
     the University of Oklahoma). NMSU and OTC desire to provide 
     bridge research leadership for our Nation. The areas of 
     leadership include research and development of techniques and 
     technologies for bridge testing and monitoring, procedures 
     for ensuring bridge safety and security, and curricula to 
     train persons in the methods for bridge inspection and 
     evaluation as one part of increasing the number of highly 
     skilled individuals entering the field of transportation.
       I believe it is important for the Bridge Research Center to 
     be established as a University Transportation Center. The New 
     Mexico State Highway and Transportation Department, through 
     our Research Bureau, will work with New Mexico State 
     University to ensure a match for the New Mexico portion of 
     the Bridge Research Center funds.
       I appreciate your continued leadership on behalf of 
     transportation in New Mexico and our Nation.
           Sincerely,
                                                 Rhonda G. Faught,
     Cabinet Secretary.
                                  ____


                                 S. 411

       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 ``Southwest Bridge Research 
     Center Establishment Act of 2003''.

     SEC. 2. BRIDGE RESEARCH CENTER.

       Section 5505 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by 
     adding at the end the following:
       ``(k) Southwest Bridge Research Center.--
       ``(1) In general.--In addition to the university 
     transportation centers receiving grants under subsections (a) 
     and (b), the Secretary shall provide grants to New Mexico 
     State University, in collaboration with the Oklahoma 
     Transportation Center, to establish and operate a university 
     transportation center to be known as the `Southwest Bridge 
     Research Center' (referred to in this subsection as the 
     `Center').
       ``(2) Purpose.--The purpose of the Center shall be to 
     contribute at a national level to a systems approach to 
     improving the overall performance of bridges, with an 
     emphasis on--
       ``(A) increasing the number of highly skilled individuals 
     entering the field of transportation;
       ``(B) improving the monitoring of structural health over 
     the life of bridges;
       ``(C) developing innovative technologies for bridge testing 
     and assessment;
       ``(D) developing technologies and procedures for ensuring 
     bridge safety, reliability, and security; and
       ``(E) providing training in the methods for bridge 
     inspection and evaluation.
       ``(3) Objectives.--The Center shall carry out the following 
     programs and activities:
       ``(A) Basic and applied research, the products of which 
     shall be judged by peers or other experts in the field to 
     advance the body of knowledge in transportation.
       ``(B) An education program that includes multidisciplinary 
     course work and participation in research.
       ``(C) An ongoing program of technology transfer that makes 
     research results available to potential users in a form that 
     can be implemented.
       ``(4) Maintenance of effort.--To be eligible to receive a 
     grant under this subsection, the institution specified in 
     paragraph (1) shall enter into an agreement with the 
     Secretary to ensure that, for each fiscal year after 
     establishment of the Center, the institution will fund 
     research activities relating to transportation in an amount 
     that is at least equal to the average annual amount of funds 
     expended for the activities for the 2 fiscal years preceding 
     the fiscal year in which the grant is received.
       ``(5) Cost sharing.--
       ``(A) Federal share.--The Federal share of the cost of any 
     activity carried out using funds from a grant provided under 
     this subsection shall be 50 percent.
       ``(B) Non-federal share.--The non-Federal share of the cost 
     of any activity carried out using funds from a grant provided 
     under this subsection may include funds provided to the 
     recipient under any of sections 503, 504(b), and 505 of title 
     23.
       ``(C) Ongoing programs.--After establishment of the Center, 
     the institution specified in paragraph (1) shall obligate for 
     each fiscal year not less than $200,000 in regularly budgeted 
     institutional funds to support ongoing transportation 
     research and education programs.
       ``(6) Program coordination.--
       ``(A) Coordination.--The Secretary shall--
       ``(i) coordinate the research, education, training, and 
     technology transfer activities carried out by the Center;
       ``(ii) disseminate the results of that research; and
       ``(iii) establish and operate a clearinghouse for 
     information derived from that research.
       ``(B) Annual review and evaluation.--At least annually, and 
     in accordance with the plan developed under section 508 of 
     title 23, the Secretary shall review and evaluate each 
     program carried out by the Center using funds from a grant 
     provided under this subsection.
       ``(7) Limitation on availability of funds.--Funds made 
     available to carry out this subsection shall remain available 
     for obligation for a period of 2 years after the last day of 
     the fiscal year for which the funds are authorized.
       ``(8) Amount of grant.--For each of fiscal years 2004 
     through 2009, the Secretary shall provide a grant in the 
     amount of $3,000,000 to the institution specified in 
     paragraph (1) to carry out this subsection.
       ``(9) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated from the Highway Trust Fund (other than 
     the Mass Transit Account) to carry out this subsection 
     $3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2004 through 2009.''.
                                 ______