SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Bridge Life Extension Act of 2008''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Corrosion of highway bridges costs the United States 
        economy $8.3 billion each year according to a Federal Highway 
        Administration report (FHWA-RD-01-157) that was delivered to 
        Congress in 2002.
            (2) The ongoing cost of corrosion on United States highway 
        bridges represents a needless waste of taxpayer dollars.
            (3) One-third of the ongoing cost of corrosion on United 
        States highway bridges would be saved if existing, fully-
        developed corrosion prevention technologies were applied to 
        bridge decks and their substructures.
            (4) The application of corrosion technologies to United 
        States highway bridges is necessary, but currently underused.
            (5)   The application of corrosion prevention strategies 
        should be required in the design and rehabilitation of bridge 
        structures that use Federal funding and the development of new 
        corrosion prevention technologies should be encouraged.

SEC. 3. CORROSION MITIGATION AND PREVENTION PLANS FOR BRIDGES RECEIVING 
              FEDERAL FUNDING.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 1 of title 23, United States Code, is 
amended by inserting after section 149 the following:
``Sec. 150. Corrosion mitigation and prevention plans
    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary may approve Federal assistance for 
a project for construction of a bridge using amounts apportioned under 
section 104(b)(1) or 104(b)(3) or a project for replacement or 
rehabilitation of a bridge under section 144 only if--
            ``(1) the State or States applying for such assistance 
        develop and submit to the Secretary a corrosion mitigation and 
        prevention plan for the bridge; and
            ``(2) the Secretary approves the plan.
    ``(b) Plan Requirements.--The Secretary may approve a corrosion 
mitigation and prevention plan for a bridge submitted by a State or 
States under subsection (a) only if the plan contains, at a minimum, 
the following:
            ``(1) An estimate of the expected useful life of the 
        bridge.
            ``(2) An estimate of environmental exposure of the bridge, 
        including marine, deicer application, industrial, rural, 
        rainfall, temperature, freeze-thaw, and other factors that 
        influence corrosion prevention and corrosion mitigation 
        strategies.
            ``(3) An identification of the functional classification of 
        the bridge.
            ``(4) Details of corrosion mitigation and prevention 
        methods that will be used with respect to the bridge, taking 
        into account--
                    ``(A) material selection;
                    ``(B) coating considerations;
                    ``(C) cathodic protection considerations;
                    ``(D) design considerations for corrosion; and
                    ``(E) concrete requirements.
            ``(5) Details of a project maintenance program for the life 
        of the bridge.
            ``(6) A certification that the plan was developed by the 
        State or States and approved by a corrosion expert.
            ``(7) A certification that each individual conducting 
        inspections of Federal-aid highway bridges in the State or 
        States receives training from a corrosion expert.
    ``(c) Approval and Disapproval.--The Secretary shall approve or 
disapprove each corrosion mitigation and prevention plan submitted by a 
State or States under subsection (a). If the Secretary disapproves a 
plan, the Secretary shall inform the State or States of the reasons for 
the disapproval and shall permit the State or States to resubmit the 
plan with such modifications as the Secretary determines necessary.
    ``(d) Modifications Following Plan Approval.--A State or States may 
modify a corrosion mitigation and prevention plan approved under 
subsection (c) to incorporate newly developed corrosion prevention 
techniques, methods, applications, and best practices if the State or 
States provide advance written notice of the modification to the 
Secretary.
    ``(e) Corrosion Expert.--In this section, the term ``corrosion 
expert'' means an individual who is accredited or certified as being 
qualified by an international technical society dedicated to the 
mitigation and prevention of corrosion or who is a registered 
professional engineer who has certification or licensing that includes 
education and experience in corrosion prevention and control of 
bridges.
    ``(f) Applicability.--
            ``(1) In general.--This section shall take effect beginning 
        on the first day of the second fiscal year beginning after the 
        date of enactment of this section.
            ``(2) Waivers.--Notwithstanding paragraph (1), the 
        Secretary may waive the application of requirements of this 
        section with respect to a bridge for the 6-month period 
        beginning on the first day referred to in paragraph (1) if--
                    ``(A) a corrosion mitigation and prevention plan 
                has been submitted for the bridge before such first 
                day; and
                    ``(B) the Secretary determines that such a waiver 
                is appropriate.
    ``(g) Funding.--Funds made available to a State under sections 
104(b)(1), 104(b)(3), and 144 may be used by the State for activities 
to comply with the requirements of this section.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The analysis for such chapter is amended 
by inserting after the item relating to section 149 the following:

``150. Corrosion mitigation and prevention plans.''.
Bridge Life Extension Act of 2008 - Allows the Secretary of Transportation to approve federal-aid highway funding for states for bridge reconstruction, replacement, or rehabilitation projects only if the state submits, and the Secretary approves, a corrosion mitigation and prevention plan.
To amend title 23, United States Code, to require corrosion mitigation and prevention plans for bridges receiving Federal funding, and for other purposes.