Safe Bridges Act of 1997

Summary: Safe Bridges Act of 1997 - Amends Federal transportation law to direct the Secretary of Transportation to set aside $800 million per fiscal year for obligation at the Secretary's discretion for the highway bridge replacement and rehabilitation program. 
Recodifies under Federal law provisions of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 relating to the highway timber bridge research and construction program. 
Directs the Secretary to make grants to carry out research concerning:  (1) the development of highway steel bridge applications and materials used in such structures; (2) the development of bridges and structures that will withstand natural disasters and various environments; and (3) using steel in rehabilitating highway bridges and structures.  Requires such technology to be made available to State and local transportation departments.  Directs the Secretary to make grants to States for projects for the construction of steel bridges and structures on Federal-aid highways, with a Federal cost-share limit of 80 percent of project costs.  Provides project funding for FY 1998 through 2003. 
Directs the Secretary to make grants to carry out research for the development of carbon composite highway bridge retrofit systems and related rehabilitation measures.  Requires such technology to be made available to State and local transportation departments.  Directs the Secretary to make grants to States for projects for the reconstruction or seismic retrofit of bridges on the national highway system, with a Federal cost-share limit of 80 percent of project costs.  Provides project funding for FY 1998 through 2003.

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.
            ``(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.''.