Federal Bridge Program threatened

As debate over the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) reauthorization continues, NACo has become concerned about preserving the Highway Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation Program, known as the Bridge Program.

This program has always been a top priority for county governments, which own 219,000 bridges or 45 percent of the nation's total. The program provides $2.76 billion annually to county, city and state governments to improve deficient bridges.

Several of the ISTEA reauthorization proposals would eliminate the Bridge Program. Both the STEP 21 and the STARS 2000 proposals would wipe out the Bridge Program and fold it into a highway block grant. "While flexibility is not a bad concept, eliminating the one program targeted to improving America's 186,000 deficient bridges is shortsighted," said Carol Roberts, NACo Transportation and Telecommunications chair.

An expanded Bridge Program was created with the support of NACo in 1978 to address the huge backlog of deficient bridges on the nation's highway system. What were the results? State and local bridges have been gradually improving. ISTEA substantially increased funds to the Bridge Program, and the percentage of deficient bridges decreased from 28.6 percent in 1990 to 24.2 percent in 1994. This is an example of ISTEA working. By creating a category for bridges and making it a national priority, the nation's bridges - and transportation system - has been improved.

Even though ISTEA has improved the condition of the nation's bridges, bridge repair still needs to be a national priority, Roberts said, and a separate Bridge Program needs to be retained in the reauthorization legislation.

"Eliminating the program or folding it into a highway block grant would undermine what has been a 20-year commitment to solving a national problem," she added.

In addition, a large number of bridges continue to need repair. Latest Federal Highway Administration statistics classify 186,000 of the 576,460 bridges on the nation's highways as deficient.

To maintain current conditions - that is not increase the number of deficient bridges - an annual investment of $5.1 billion is required, according to Roberts. To improve bridge conditions, an annual investment of $8.9 billion must be made.

Other factors also support the need for a national focus on bridges. This is a national problem which requires a federal commitment and investment. A bridge that is in disrepair maybe dangerous and because of its condition may interrupt national or regional traffic patterns. A decaying bridge is a much more complicated and expensive project than a road that needs to be repaired.

Bridge repair is both a rural and urban issue as well as an economic development issue. Rural areas need bridge investment because they have 80 percent of all bridges. At the same time, 31 percent of the bridges in urban areas are in disrepair, including some of the most costly to maintain. The cost of poorly maintained bridges to our regional, national and global economy is tremendous and hurts our competitiveness.

Counties receive federal bridge funds through a set-aside known as the Off-System Bridge Program, which requires each state to spend at least 15 percent of its bridge apportionment on bridges on roads not normally eligible for federal funds. This set-aside needs to be retained and NACo has advocated that it be expanded to a 25 percent set-aside.

Legislation (H.R. 1799) introduced in the House by Rep. James Barcia (D-Mich.) does this. Nearly 50 percent, or 279,000 of the nation's bridges, are off-system and almost all of these are owned by local governments. A substantial portion of these bridges are rated as deficient. Eliminating the off-system bridge program, as proposed by some, would be shortsighted.

During ISTEA reauthorization NACo urges county officials to strongly support the continuation of the Bridge Program as a national priority for an efficient and safe transportation system. Please write your senators and representatives in support of the Bridge Program.

(Send copies of your letters to the following leaders of the Senate and House Committees so they can see the support for the Bridge Program.)

The Honorable Bud Shuster
Chairman
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
2165 Rayburn Building
Washington, DC 20515
<http://www.house.gov/transportation/>

The Honorable John Chafee
Chairman
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
SD-410 Dirksen Building
Washington, DC 20510
<senator_chafee@chafee.senate.gov>