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[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1682 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1682

To amend title 23, United States Code, to require States to develop and 
              implement highway bridge management systems.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 24, 2009

Mr. Conaway (for himself and Ms. Sutton) introduced the following bill; 
       which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and 
                             Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
To amend title 23, United States Code, to require States to develop and 
              implement highway bridge management systems.

    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 ``Bridge Life Extension Act of 2009''.

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. HIGHWAY BRIDGE REPLACEMENT AND REHABILITATION PROGRAM.

    Section 144(d) of title 23, United States Code, is amended by 
adding at the end the following:
            ``(5) Requirements for state participation.--
                    ``(A) Implementation of highway bridge management 
                systems.--As a condition for providing assistance to a 
                State under this section, the Secretary shall require 
                the State to develop and implement a highway bridge 
                management system that meets the requirements of 
                section 303.
                    ``(B) Applicability to new and existing bridges.--A 
                highway bridge management system under subparagraph (A) 
                shall apply to design and construction of new bridges 
                and maintenance of existing bridges.
                    ``(C) Preservation of structures.--In developing 
                and implementing a highway bridge management system 
                under subparagraph (A), a State shall--
                            ``(i) identify corrosion mitigation and 
                        prevention methods that will be used to 
                        preserve the highway bridges in the State, 
                        taking into account--
                                    ``(I) material selection;
                                    ``(II) coating considerations;
                                    ``(III) cathodic protection 
                                considerations;
                                    ``(IV) design considerations for 
                                corrosion; and
                                    ``(V) concrete requirements;
                            ``(ii) establish a project maintenance 
                        program for highway bridges in the State for 

                        the purpose of extending the life of each 
                        highway bridge;
                            ``(iii) ensure that all highway bridge 
                        designers, inspectors, and maintenance 
                        individuals implementing the system are trained 
                        and certified in corrosion mitigation and 
                        prevention techniques; and
                            ``(iv) research current inspection 
                        technologies and techniques for highway 
                        bridges.
                    ``(D) Consultation.--A State shall carry out the 
                requirements of this paragraph in consultation with 
                engineers and other experts specializing in corrosion 
                mitigation and prevention methods.''.
                                 <all>
```