(b) USES OF THE FUND.—The Fund shall be avail-
able to the Secretary for the maintenance, rehabilitation,
and expansion of the existing Woodrow Wilson Memorial
Bridge for the purpose of keeping the bridge in a condition
sufficient to facilitate interstate traffic in an efficient and
safe manner. Amounts in the Fund shall only be available
for those portions of the bridge that are owned by the Fed-
eral Government.
(c) REPLENISHMENT OF THE FUND.—Before Octo-
ber 1 of each fiscal year, the Secretary shall estimate the
balance in the Fund for such fiscal year. If the balance
is projected to be below $50,000,000, the Secretary shall
deduct from apportionments made to the Commonwealth
of Virginia and the State of Maryland under section 104
of title 23, United States Code, sufficient contract author-
ity and obligation authority to restore the projected Fund
balance to $50,000,000. The obligation authority deducted
shall be available until expended.
(d) ANNUAL REPORT.—The Secretary shall prepare
and transmit to Congress an annual report on the condi-
tion of the bridge.
SEC. 4. TRANSPORTATION PLAN.
(a) DEVELOPMENT.—The Secretary of Transpor-
tation, the Commonwealth of Virginia, the State of Mary-
land, and the District of Columbia shall develop a trans-
portation plan for the Capital Beltway corridor (Interstate
Route 495) served by the Woodrow Wilson Memorial
Bridge project. The plan shall establish what level of high
occupancy vehicle lanes and transit service should be pro-
vided in the corridor and how such service should be ac-
commodated on a replacement bridge.
(b) CONSULTATION.—The plan shall be developed in
consultation with appropriate local jurisdictions and met-
ropolitan planning organizations.
(c) FUNDING.—The cost of developing the plan may
be paid from the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge Pres-
ervation Fund.
SEC. 5. CONSTRUCTION OF REPLACEMENT BRIDGE.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Upon certification to Congress by
the Secretary of Transportation that all of the following
conditions have been met, the balance in the Woodrow
Wilson Memorial Bridge Preservation Fund shall be avail-
able for the construction of a replacement for the existing
Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge:
(1) The transportation plan required under sec-
tion 4 has been completed and approved by the Sec-
retary, the Governors of Virginia and Maryland, and
the mayor of the District of Columbia.
(2) Title to the existing bridge has been trans-
ferred from the Federal Government to the Com-
monwealth of Virginia or the State of Maryland, or
both.
(3) The Commonwealth of Virginia and the
State of Maryland have developed a finance plan to
pay for all costs of the replacement bridge project in
excess of the current Federal payment provided by
the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century
and have signed an agreement with the Secretary to
pay for all cost overruns to the finance plan. The
plan shall give priority to the use of such Federal
payment for the bridge component of the project.
(b) WAIVER AUTHORITY.—In developing a replace-
ment bridge and its approaches under subsection (a), the
Secretary upon petition by the States of Virginia and
Maryland, may waive any requirement of title 23, United
States Code, other than sections 113 and 138 of such title,
that the States have determined to cause unreasonable in-
creases in the cost of the project.
SEC. 6. SENSE OF THE CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that—
(1) the $900,000,000 Federal payment in the
Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century to
replace the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge is the
final Federal contribution for that project;
(2) any of the Federal payment remaining after
completion of the replacement bridge shall be avail-
able to pay for costs associated with construction of
approaches to the bridge; and
(3) all project costs not associated with the
bridge component are the responsibility of the Com-
monwealth of Virginia and the State of Maryland as
was the case with the construction of the existing
bridge.
SEC. 7. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.
Section 412 of the National Highway System Des-
ignation Act of 1995 (112 Stat. 159–160) is amended—
(1) in subsection (a)(1) by striking ‘‘of plan-
ning’’ and all that follows through the period at the
end of such subsection and inserting ‘‘of mainte-
nance and rehabilitation by the Secretary of the ex-
isting Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge.’’; and
(2) by striking subsection (c).
SEC. 8. EFFECTIVE DATE.
This Act and the amendments made by this Act shall
take effect September 30, 2000, and shall apply to fiscal
years beginning after such date.
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