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“THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY BRIDGE RECONSTRUCTION AND INSPECTION ACT OF 2007” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Transportation was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E2284-E2285 on Oct. 30, 2007.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY BRIDGE RECONSTRUCTION AND INSPECTION ACT OF 2007
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HON. JAMES L. OBERSTAR
of minnesota
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Mr. OBERSTAR. Madam Speaker, the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, and I introduce the ``National Highway Bridge Reconstruction and Inspection Act of 2007'', which will improve the safety of Federal-aid highway bridges, strengthen bridge inspection standards and processes, and increase investment in the reconstruction of structurally deficient bridges on the National Highway System.
The tragic collapse of the I-35W Bridge, which occurred in my home state of Minnesota on August 1, 2007, demonstrates the need to make a commitment to invest in the maintenance and reconstruction of our nation's infrastructure. Many facilities are being stretched to the limit of their design life and beyond.
Of the 594,101 bridges in the National Bridge Inventory, 26.2 percent of America's bridges--more than one in four--are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. There are 73,784 structurally deficient bridges and 80,317 functionally obsolete bridges. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), more than $65 billion could be invested immediately in a cost-beneficial way to address existing bridge deficiencies.
We must take action to put in place a framework to address this situation, and ensure that the safety and structural integrity of the nation's highway bridges do not continue to deteriorate.
Since the collapse of the I-35W Bridge, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit have conducted in-depth hearings into the Highway Bridge Program and the National Bridge Inspection Program. During those hearings, we have found a number of significant problems that must be addressed to ensure the overall safety of the nation's highway bridges. The National Highway Bridge Reconstruction and Inspection Act of 2007 establishes a framework for risk-based prioritization of bridge infrastructure investments and ensures that the limited resources available today will reach those facilities most in need of repair.
The National Highway Bridge Reconstruction and Inspection Act require the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to immediately update the National Bridge Inspection Standards to establish uniformity among States in conducting inspections and evaluations. The bill also strengthens training, certification, and qualification requirements for all highway bridge inspectors.
The bill requires States to inspect structurally deficient bridges each year using the best practicable technologies and methods. All other bridges would be required to be inspected every 2 years. The legislation allows FHWA to extend the biennial inspection requirements if FHWA determines that granting the extension will increase the overall safety of the State's bridge inventory.
In response to concerns raised in a U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General report, the bill requires States to calculate the load rating for highway bridges that have a structural deficiency in a load-carrying member and ensures that the safe load-carrying capacity for such bridges is properly posted.
Our legislation also requires the Department of Transportation to conduct a risk-based prioritization for the reconstruction of deficient Federal-aid highway bridges. The National Academy of Sciences would then independently review the process of prioritization to ensure that investment and resource decisions are based on need, not politics.
The bill also calls on States to develop a 5-year performance plan for the inspection of highway bridges and the reconstruction of structurally deficient and functionally obsolete Federal-aid highway bridges. The performance plans will provide a roadmap for addressing bridge needs, and will ensure greater accountability.
The bill authorizes an additional $2 billion for reconstruction of structurally deficient bridges on the National Highway System. These funds are in addition to funds authorized for the Highway Bridge Program under the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users. These funds are distributed to the States by formula, and Congressional or Administration earmarks are specifically prohibited.
Finally, the bill limits the transferability of Highway Bridge funds. The funds authorized by this bill are not transferable to other Federal-aid highway programs. In addition, the bill provides that a State may transfer Highway Bridge Program funds to other Federal-aid Highway programs only if the State demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Secretary that the State has no structurally deficient Federal-aid highway bridges. This ``fix-it-first'' approach will ensure that bridge program funds are utilized as intended by Congress in SAFETEA-LU--to improve the safety of highway bridges.
The bridge collapse of August 1, 2007, has served as a wake-up call for many policymakers and leaders around the country. We must take the lessons of the I-35W Bridge, and use them to create an accountable and reliable bridge program that guards the safety of all users. The National Highway Bridge Reconstruction and Inspection Act of 2007, which Mr. DeFazio and I introduce today, begins the process of ensuring that such a tragedy will not happen again.
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