II 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 2004 

To amend title 23, United States Code, to establish a demonstration project 

to begin correcting structural bridge deficiencies. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

NOVEMBER 14, 2005 

Mr. VITTER introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Environment and Public Works 

A BILL 

To amend title 23, United States Code, to establish a demonstration project to begin correcting structural bridge 

deficiencies. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Bridge Safety and Re5 pair Demonstration Act of 2005’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds that— 

8 (1) 590,750 bridges in the United States are a 

9 vital link in a seamless and efficient transportation 
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1 system, connecting communities, States, and re2 gions; 

3 (2) 14 percent of all bridges in the United 

4 States that are 20 feet or longer are structurally de5 ficient; 

6 (3) as of the date of enactment of this Act, the 

7 cost of correcting all bridge deficiencies in the 

8 United States is $136,000,000,000; 

9 (4) faced with budget cutbacks, many States 

10 are struggling to maintain an acceptable schedule of 

11 maintenance, repair, and replacement of roads and 

12 bridges; 

13 (5) to begin correcting structural bridge defi14 ciencies, a demonstration program is necessary, be15 ginning with States that have significant numbers of 

16 structurally deficient bridges; and 

17 (6) 33 percent of the bridges in the State of 

18 Louisiana, and a significant percentage of bridges in 

19 each of the States of Oklahoma, Rhode Island, 

20 Pennsylvania, Missouri, Mississippi, New York, 

21 Vermont, West Virginia, Hawaii, Massachusetts, and 

22 Maine are structurally deficient or functionally obso23 lete. 
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1 SEC. 3. RURAL DEVELOPMENT BRIDGE REPAIR PROGRAM. 

2 Section 144 of title 23, United States Code, is 

3 amended— 

4 (1) by redesignating subsection (q) as sub5 section (r); and 

6 (2) by adding after subsection (p) the following: 

7 ‘‘(q) DEMONSTRATION PROJECT.— 

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall provide 

9 grants to the State departments of transportation 

10 for each of the States of Oklahoma, Rhode Island, 

11 Pennsylvania, Missouri, Mississippi, New York, 

12 Vermont, West Virginia, Hawaii, Massachusetts, 

13 Maine, and Louisiana to provide for the rehabilita14 tion of the most structurally deficient off-system 

15 bridges in those States. 

16 ‘‘(2) REPORT.—Not later than October 31, 

17 2006, and annually thereafter, each of the State de18 partments of transportation referred to in paragraph 

19 (1) shall submit to Congress a report describing the 

20 number of bridges and extent of corrected defi21 ciencies made in the applicable State during the pre22 ceding fiscal year. 

23 ‘‘(3) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

24 There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

25 this subsection— 

26 ‘‘(A) $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2006; 
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1 ‘‘(B) $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2007; and 

2 ‘‘(C) $30,000,000 for fiscal year 2008.’’. 

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