Durbin, Klobuchar Introduce Bill to Ensure the Safety of Nation's Bridges

Press Release

Today, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced the National Bridge Reconstruction and Inspection Act - a bill requiring the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and state transportation departments to develop plans to repair and replace bridges that pose the greatest risk to the public. The legislation also requires the FHWA to develop new bridge inspection standards and techniques that utilize the best technology available.

"According to the Federal Highway Administration, more than 25% percent of the nation's bridges are either structurally deficient or functionally obsolete; 4,773 of those bridges are in Illinois," Durbin said. "Congress should be doing all that we can to ensure that our roads and bridges are inspected and certified as safe. We should not wait for another fatal bridge collapse to act."

The bill requires states to certify they do not have any structurally deficient bridges on the federal interstate system before they can shift federal bridge funds to other programs. It further authorizes an additional $1 billion in funding for states to begin addressing the problem of structurally deficient bridges.

"The tragic collapse of the I-35W bridge underscored the need for a renewed commitment to infrastructure funding locally and nationally," said Klobuchar "While we have come together to rebuild this vital lifeline, our work to re-invest in our nation's infrastructure remains unfinished. Infrastructure is the lifeblood of our economy -- it creates new jobs and keeps businesses and residents moving. This bill is a critical step to strengthen our commitment to infrastructure investment and require thorough inspections, to ensure we have the safe, reliable infrastructure our country deserves."

The legislation is a companion bill to Congressman Jim Oberstar's bill that passed the House of Representatives yesterday by a wide bipartisan margin by vote of 367 to 55.

A recent study by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure found that many states have diverted federal Highway Bridge Program funding to purposes other than maintaining, repairing and replacing bridges.

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