I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3376 

To authorize States to carry out bridge construction, maintenance, repair, 

and replacement projects using previously allocated surface transportation 

funds that are identified as being excess or inactive, and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 29, 2015 

Mrs. LOWEY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

A BILL 

To authorize States to carry out bridge construction, maintenance, repair, and replacement projects using previously 

allocated surface transportation funds that are identified 

as being excess or inactive, and for other purposes. 

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

3 SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 

4 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

5 (1) The Federal Highway Administration esti6 mates that there are 604,485 bridges on the Na7 tion’s public road network, of which 116,669 are on 

8 the National Highway System. 


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1 (2) The average age of the Nation’s bridges is 

2 39 years old and more than two-thirds of the Na3 tion’s bridges are more than 26 years old. 

4 (3) One in 9 bridges is classified as structurally 

5 deficient and requires significant maintenance, re6 pair, or replacement. 

7 (4) Fourteen percent of the Nation’s bridges 

8 are functionally obsolete and do not meet current de9 sign standards. 

10 (5) The Federal Highway Administration esti11 mates that to eliminate the Nation’s deficient bridge 

12 backlog by 2030, $20.2 billion of investment would 

13 be required annually through Federal, State, and 

14 local levels of government, although current annual 

15 bridge investment is approximately $17.1 billion. 

16 (b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the following defi17 nitions apply: 

18 (1) ELIGIBLE FUNDS.— 

19 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘eligible 

20 funds’’ means funds— 

21 (i) authorized or designated in— 

22 (I) Public Law 109–59 or a prior 

23 surface transportation authorization 

24 Act; or 


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1 (II) an appropriations Act, or a 

2 report accompanying an appropria3 tions Act, for allocation to a specific 

4 surface transportation project or ac5 tivity; and 

6 (ii) identified, not later than 60 days 

7 after the date of enactment of this Act, by 

8 the State in which the project or activity is 

9 authorized to be carried out as being ex10 cess funds or inactive funds. 

11 (B) INCLUSION.—The term ‘‘eligible 

12 funds’’ includes funds described in subpara13 graph (A) that were allocated and designated 

14 for a demonstration project. 

15 (2) EXCESS FUNDS.—The term ‘‘excess funds’’ 

16 means— 

17 (A) funds obligated for a specific surface 

18 transportation project or activity that remain 

19 available for the project or activity after the 

20 project or activity has been completed or can21 celed; or 

22 (B) an unobligated balance of funds allo23 cated for a specific surface transportation 

24 project or activity that the State in which the 

25 project or activity is authorized to be carried 


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1 out certifies is no longer needed for the project 

2 or activity. 

3 (3) INACTIVE FUNDS.—The term ‘‘inactive 

4 funds’’ means— 

5 (A) an unobligated balance of Federal 

6 funds for an eligible surface transportation 

7 project or activity against which no more than 

8 10 percent of the Federal funds originally des9 ignated for the project or activity have been ob10 ligated; or 

11 (B) funds that are available to carry out a 

12 surface transportation project or activity in a 

13 State, but, as certified by the State, are un14 likely to be advanced for the project or activity 

15 during the 1-year period beginning on the date 

16 of certification. 

17 (c) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR BRIDGE

18 PROJECTS.—Eligible funds shall be— 

19 (1) made available in accordance with this sec20 tion to the State that originally received the funds; 

21 and 

22 (2) available for obligation for any eligible 

23 project under section 133(b)(2) or 133(b)(3) of title 

24 23, United States Code. 


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1 (d) AUTHORITY TO OBLIGATE.—Notwithstanding 

2 the original source or period of availability of eligible 

3 funds, the Secretary of Transportation may, on the re4 quest by a State— 

5 (1) obligate the funds for any eligible project 

6 under section 133(b)(2) or 133(b)(3) of title 23, 

7 United States Code; or 

8 (2)(A) deobligate the funds; and 

9 (B) reobligate the funds for any project eligible 

10 under such sections. 

11 (e) PERIOD OF AVAILABILITY; TITLE 23 REQUIRE12 MENTS.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding the original 

14 source or period of availability of eligible funds obli15 gated (or deobligated and reobligated) under sub16 section (d), the eligible funds— 

17 (A) shall remain available for obligation for 

18 a period of 3 fiscal years after the fiscal year 

19 in which this Act is enacted; and 

20 (B) except as otherwise provided in this 

21 subsection, shall be subject to the requirements 

22 of title 23, United States Code, that apply to 

23 section 133 of that title, including provisions re24 lating to Federal share. 


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1 (2) NO ALLOCATION BASED ON POPULATION.— 

2 Section 133(d) of title 23, United States Code, shall 

3 not apply to eligible funds under this section. 

4 (f) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

5 of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Sec6 retary shall submit to the Committee on Environment and 

7 Public Works of the Senate, the Committee on Transpor8 tation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives, 

9 and the Committees on Appropriations of the Senate and 

10 the House of Representatives a report describing any ac11 tion taken by the Secretary under this section. 

Æ 


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