I 
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 Representa-
tives 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 ac-
cording to a Federal Highway Administration report 
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(FHWA–RD–01–157) that was delivered to Con-
gress 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 tech-
nologies were applied to bridge decks and their sub-
structures. 
(4) The application of corrosion technologies to 
United States highway bridges is necessary, but cur-
rently underused. 
(5)
The application of corrosion prevention 
strategies should be required in the design and reha-
bilitation of bridge structures that use Federal fund-
ing and the development of new corrosion prevention 
technologies should be encouraged. 
SEC. 3. HIGHWAY BRIDGE REPLACEMENT AND REHABILI-
TATION PROGRAM. 
Section 144(d) of title 23, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(5) REQUIREMENTS
FOR
STATE
PARTICIPA-
TION.— 
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‘‘(A) 
IMPLEMENTATION
OF
HIGHWAY 
BRIDGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS.—As a condi-
tion 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 re-
quirements of section 303. 
‘‘(B) APPLICABILITY TO NEW AND EXIST-
ING 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 consid-
erations; 
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‘‘(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 in-
dividuals implementing the system are 
trained and certified in corrosion mitiga-
tion and prevention techniques; and 
‘‘(iv) research current inspection tech-
nologies 
and 
techniques 
for 
highway 
bridges. 
‘‘(D) CONSULTATION.—A State shall carry 
out the requirements of this paragraph in con-
sultation with engineers and other experts spe-
cializing in corrosion mitigation and prevention 
methods.’’. 
Æ 
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