I
113th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2428
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 19, 2013
Mr. Rahall (for himself, Mr. Larsen of Washington, Mr. DeFazio, Ms. Norton, Mr. Nadler, Ms. Brown of Florida, Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, Mr. Cummings, Mr. Capuano, Mr. Bishop of New York, Mr. Michaud, Mrs. Napolitano, Mr. Lipinski, Mr. Walz, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Sires, Ms. Edwards, Mr. Garamendi, Mr. Carson of Indiana, Ms. Hahn, Mr. Nolan, Mrs. Kirkpatrick, Ms. Esty, Ms. Frankel of Florida, and Mrs. Bustos) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Transportation to assist States to rehabilitate or replace certain bridges, and for other purposes.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the
Strengthen And Fortify Existing Bridges Act of
2013
or the SAFE Bridges Act of
2013
.
Assistance to States to rehabilitate or replace certain bridges
Establishment
Not later than 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall establish a program to assist States to rehabilitate or replace eligible bridges.
Apportionment of funds
In general
Amounts made available to carry out the program established under subsection (a) for a fiscal year shall be apportioned to each State according to the ratio that—
the total cost to rehabilitate or replace structurally deficient and functionally obsolete bridges in that State; bears to
the total cost to rehabilitate or replace structurally deficient and functionally obsolete bridges in all States.
Calculation of total cost
Categories of bridges
The Secretary shall place each structurally deficient or functionally obsolete bridge into one of the following categories:
Federal-aid highway bridges eligible for rehabilitation.
Federal-aid highway bridges eligible for replacement.
Bridges not on Federal-aid highways eligible for rehabilitation.
Bridges not on Federal-aid highways eligible for replacement.
Calculation
For purposes of the calculation required under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall multiply the deck area of structurally deficient and functionally obsolete bridges in each category described in subparagraph (A) by the respective unit price on a State-by-State basis, as determined by the Secretary, to determine the total cost to rehabilitate or replace bridges in each State.
Data used in making determinations
The Secretary shall make determinations under this subsection based on the latest available data, which shall be updated not less than annually.
Use of existing inventories
To the extent practicable, the Secretary shall make determinations under this subsection using inventories prepared under section 144 of title 23, United States Code.
Use of funds
Funds apportioned to a State under the program established under subsection (a) shall—
be used by that State for the rehabilitation and replacement of eligible bridges;
except as otherwise specified in this section, be administered as if apportioned under chapter 1 of title 23, United States Code, except that such funds shall not be transferable;
be subject to the requirements described in section 1101(b) of MAP–21 in the same manner as amounts made available for programs under divisions A and B of that Act; and
not be subject to any limitation on obligations for Federal-aid highways or highway safety construction programs set forth in any Act.
Condition at project completion
A bridge that is rehabilitated or replaced under the program established under subsection (a) may not be structurally deficient, functionally obsolete, or fracture critical upon the completion of such rehabilitation or replacement.
Federal share
The Federal share of the cost of a project carried out with funds apportioned to a State under the program established under subsection (a) shall be 100 percent.
Reapportionment of unobligated funds
Any funds apportioned to a State under the program established under subsection (a) and not obligated by that State at the end of the third fiscal year beginning after the fiscal year during which the funds were apportioned shall be withdrawn from that State and reapportioned by the Secretary to States that have not had funds withdrawn under this subsection in accordance with the formula specified in subsection (b).
Nonsubstitution
In carrying out the program established under subsection (a), the Secretary shall ensure that funding made available to a State under the program supplements, and does not supplant—
other Federal funding made available for the rehabilitation or replacement of eligible bridges; and
the planned obligations of that State with respect to eligible bridges.
Report
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, and each year thereafter if States obligated funds apportioned under the program established under subsection (a) during that year, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate a report that describes the amounts obligated by each State for projects under such program.
Definitions
In this section, the following definitions apply:
Bridge
The term bridge means a bridge on a public road, without regard to whether the bridge is on a Federal-aid highway.
Eligible bridge
The term eligible bridge means a bridge that is structurally deficient, functionally obsolete, or fracture critical.
Federal-aid highway
The term Federal-aid highway has the meaning given that term in section 101(a) of title 23, United States Code.
Fracture critical
The term fracture critical means, with respect to a bridge, a bridge with a steel member in tension, or with a tension element, the failure of which would likely cause a portion of the bridge or the entire bridge to collapse.
Functionally obsolete
The term functionally obsolete means, with respect to a bridge, a bridge that, as determined by the Secretary, no longer meets current design standards for the traffic demands on the bridge.
Public road
The term public road has the meaning given that term in section 101(a) of title 23, United States Code.
Rehabilitation
The term rehabilitation means, with respect to a bridge, the carrying out of major work necessary, as determined by the Secretary—
to restore the structural integrity of the bridge; or
to correct a major safety defect of the bridge.
Replacement
The term replacement means, with respect to a bridge, the construction of a new facility that, as determined by the Secretary, is in the same general traffic corridor as the replaced bridge.
State
The term State means any of the 50 States and the District of Columbia.
Structurally deficient
The term structurally deficient means, with respect to a bridge, a bridge that, as determined by the Secretary—
has significant load-carrying elements that are in poor or worse condition due to deterioration, damage, or both;
has a load capacity that is significantly below current truckloads and that requires replacement; or
has a waterway opening causing frequent flooding of the bridge deck and approaches resulting in significant traffic interruptions.
Authorization of appropriations
There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section $2,750,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2013 and 2014. Such sums shall remain available until expended.