I
105TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 3525
To amend the National Highway System Designation Act of 1995 to specify
the number and use of vehicle lanes on any replacement of the Woodrow
Wilson Memorial Bridge, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 19, 1998
Mr. MORAN of Virginia introduced the following bill; which was referred to
the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
A BILL
To amend the National Highway System Designation Act
of 1995 to specify the number and use of vehicle lanes
on any replacement of the Woodrow Wilson Memorial
Bridge, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. REMOVAL OF OLD BRIDGE REQUIRED.
Section 404(5) of the National Highway System Des-
ignation Act of 1995 (109 Stat. 629) is amended by in-
serting ‘‘removal of the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge
after completion of any replacement crossing’’ after ‘‘re-
pairs to the Bridge and’’.
SEC. 2. NUMBER AND USE OF VEHICLE LANES ON RE-
PLACEMENT BRIDGE.
Section 408 of the National Highway System Des-
ignation Act of 1995 (109 Stat. 631) is amended—
(1) by inserting ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—’’ before
‘‘The Secretary’’; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(b) NUMBER AND USE OF VEHICLE LANES ON RE-
PLACEMENT
BRIDGE.—Any replacement bridge con-
structed pursuant to this title shall—
‘‘(1) be open to traffic for operation of no more
than 12 vehicle lanes; and
‘‘(2) have 2 of the 12 vehicle lanes reserved ex-
clusively for one or more of the following:
‘‘(A) High occupancy vehicles.
‘‘(B) Express buses.
‘‘(C) Transit.
Such reserved lanes shall not be open to traffic until the
systems that such lanes will be a part of in the States
of Maryland and Virginia are open to traffic and shall not
be used as general purpose lanes unless such use is nec-
essary for incident or accident management or mainte-
nance of traffic during construction or maintenance activi-
ties.’’.
SEC. 3. TOLLS; WIDTH LIMIT; MITIGATION; COMMUNITY
OVERSIGHT; COMMISSION.
Title IV of the National Highway System Designa-
tion Act of 1995 (109 Stat. 627 through 634) is amended
by adding at the end the following:
‘‘SEC. 412. TOLLS PROHIBITED.
‘‘No tolls shall be permitted on any part of the
Project that is reserved for local traffic.
‘‘SEC. 413. LIMITATION ON WIDTH OF CROSSING.
‘‘No replacement crossing constructed pursuant to
this title may be more than 200 feet wide.
‘‘SEC. 414. MITIGATION OF ADVERSE IMPACTS.
‘‘No replacement crossing constructed pursuant to
this title may be open to traffic until completion of all
environmental and other mitigation measures described
in—
‘‘(1) the record of decision regarding the
Project executed by the Secretary on November 25,
1997; and
‘‘(2) any environmental impact statements com-
pleted regarding the Project pursuant to section
102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act
of 1969.
‘‘SEC. 415. COMMUNITY OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE.
‘‘If the highest elected local official of any unit of
local government in which any part of the Project shall
be located establishes a community oversight committee
to provide comments and recommendations regarding the
design and construction of the Project and such committee
submits such comments and recommendations to the Sec-
retary, the Secretary shall take such comments and rec-
ommendations into consideration and make any changes
to such design and construction that the Secretary consid-
ers appropriate.
‘‘SEC. 416. COMMISSION.
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT; MEMBERSHIP.—The Sec-
retary shall establish a commission to be known as the
‘Southern Potomac River Study Commission’. The com-
mission shall be comprised of representatives appointed by
the Secretary from among local elected officials of the ju-
risdictions in which any part of the Project shall be lo-
cated, representatives of the State Governments of Mary-
land and Virginia, and representatives of the environ-
mental community.
‘‘(b) DUTIES.—The commission shall—
‘‘(1) study the feasibility of a new Potomac
River crossing south of Interstate Route 495 and
north of State Route 301 to accommodate future in-
creased traffic in the metropolitan Washington, D.C.
area;
‘‘(2) select possible alignments for a new river
crossing, propose possible crossing options, and iden-
tify possible financing mechanisms to acquire the
right-of-way and to construct the crossing; and
‘‘(3) report its findings to Congress not later
than 2 years after the date of the establishment of
the Commission.’’.
SEC. 4. FUNDING.
Section 104(i) of title 23, United States Code, is
amended by adding at the end the following new para-
graph:
‘‘(3) PROJECT FUNDING.—There is available to
carry out the Project (as defined in section 404 of
the National Highway System Designation Act of
1995) from the Highway Trust Fund (other than
the Mass Transit Account) such sums as may be
necessary. Such sums shall remain available until ex-
pended.’’.
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