Press Releases

Print | E-mail | Comment (1 comment(s)) | Rate | Text Size |

Conaway introduces legislation to protect, secure America's bridges

Published: Thursday, June 12, 2008 2:29 PM CDT
From Mike Conaway's office

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Mike Conaway (TX-11) introduced H.R. 6234, the “Bridge Life Extension Act of 2008”. 

“The recent bridge collapses and closures should be a wakeup call for lawmakers,” said Conaway. “Our nation’s infrastructure is crumbling due to improper planning, negligence and inadequate management at all levels of governments.”



The “Bridge Life Extension Act of 2008” sets new standards for bridges that receive federal funding by requiring the states to develop corrosion mitigation and prevention plans for all bridges undergoing repair, rehabilitation or construction.  The states will be required to submit the outlined plans to the Secretary of Transportation for approval before Federal funds are granted.  The plans must contain expected useful life of the bridge, details of corrosion mitigation and prevention methods in construction and maintenance of the bridge, certification and approval by a corrosion expert and corrosion training for all bridge inspectors. 

Conaway went on to say, “The ongoing cost of corrosion on US bridges represents a needless waste of taxpayer dollars. It is my hope that my colleagues understand the importance of taking a proactive initiative and pass this important legislation. We cannot ignore the fact that lives have been lost due to past negligence, and more will be if we don’t address our nation’s aging infrastructure.”



On August 2, 2007, the Interstate 35 bridge in Minneapolis collapsed, killing 13 people and injuring 125. The bridge had been found in “poor” condition for 17 consecutive years before the collapse.

Last week, Highway 43 in Winona, Minnesota closed abruptly, leaving commuters to cross the Mississippi River by ferry after corrosion in the gusset plates was discovered.







Previous  
Midland visitors bureau asking for residents to help advertise area  

Article Rating

Current Rating: 0 of 0 votes!Rate File:

Reader Comments

The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of mywesttexas.com.

Robert Odle wrote on Jun 14, 2008 5:05 PM:

" What is interesting about this bill is that it pushes the cost of the corrosion mitigation plan onto the states. I wonder if the legislation has clear standards for the state to meet. One also wonders what special interest groups drew up this legislation.

Robert R. Odle, Ph.D.
Corrosion Engineer "

Report Abuse

Submit a Comment

We encourage your feedback and dialog, however we reserve the right to delete any post we see that may be considered slanderous, excessive and/or foul language, or any post that we may deem inappropriate.
You must register with a valid email to post comments. Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.

Registered users sign in here:

Become a Registered User
*Member ID:
*Password:
Remember login?
(requires cookies)
 

Do not use usernames or passwords from your financial accounts!

Note: Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required!

*Create a Member ID:
*Choose a password:
*Re-enter password:
*E-mail Address:
*Year of Birth:
 

(children under 13 cannot register)

 
Return to: Press Releases « | Home « | Top of Page ^