Norman Mineta: “I rise in strong support of S. 1789, a bill to permit the use of funds under the Highway Bridge Replacement and…”

“I rise in strong support of S. 1789, a bill to permit the use of funds under the Highway Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation Program for seismic retrofit of bridges. One of the underlying principles of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 [ISTEA] was to enhance flexibility so that States could better meet our Nation's varied and critical transportation needs. An example of that flexibility is a provision in the law making bridge funds under the Federal Highway Bridge Rehabilitation and Replacement Program [HBRR] eligible for seismic retrofitting activities. However, subsequent to enactment of ISTEA, the Federal Highway Administration [FHWA] interpreted the ISTEA language as prohibiting the use of bridge program funds for seismic retrofitting activities unless the particular bridge is determined to be structurally deficient. S. 1789, as passed by the Senate, is intended to rectify this serious inequity in FHWA's interpretation by allowing a State to use funds for the seismic retrofit of a bridge without regard to whether the bridge is determined to require replacement or rehabilitation for nonseismic reasons.”