Sec. 1307. Rebuild rural bridges program
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/bill/117/hr/3684/rh/section-1307A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
The Secretary of Transportation shall establish a rebuild rural bridges program to improve the safety and state of good repair of bridges in rural communities. In carrying out the program established in subsection (a), the Secretary shall make grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible applicants in accordance with this section. To be eligible for a grant under this section, an eligible entity shall submit to the Secretary an application in such form, at such time, and containing such information as the Secretary determines appropriate.
The Secretary— shall provide grants under this section to projects eligible under title 23, United States Code, including projects on and off of the Federal-aid highway system, to inspect, replace, rehabilitate, or preserve— an off-system bridge; a bridge on Tribal land; or a bridge in poor condition located in a rural community; and may provide a grant for a bundle of bridges described in paragraph (1). A recipient of a grant under this section may use such grant for— development phase activities, including planning, feasibility analysis, revenue forecasting, environmental review, preliminary engineering and design work, and other preconstruction activities; construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, acquisition of real property (including land related to the project and improvements to the land), environmental mitigation, and construction contingencies; and bridge inspection, evaluation, and preservation.
The Federal share of the cost of a project carried out using a grant under this section may not exceed 80 percent of the total cost of such project. Federal assistance other than a grant under this section may be used to satisfy up to 100 percent of the total cost of such project. In making grants under this section, the Secretary shall consider— whether the project can be completed without additional Federal funding or financial assistance available to the project sponsor, beyond existing Federal apportionments; and the level of benefits the project is expected to generate, including— the costs avoided by the prevention of closure or reduced use of the asset to be improved by the project; reductions in maintenance costs over the life of the asset; safety benefits, including the reduction of accidents and related costs; and benefits to the economy of the rural or Tribal community.
Of the grants made available under this section, for fiscal years 2023 through 2026, a total of not less than $10,000,000 shall be made available to provide grants that improve the safety, state of good repair, or connectivity through bridge investments in and providing access to, colonias. In this section, the term colonia means any identifiable community that— is in the State of Arizona, California, New Mexico, or Texas; is in the area of the United States within 150 miles of the border between the United States and Mexico, except that the term does not include any standard metropolitan statistical area that has a population exceeding 1,000,000; is determined to be a colonia on the basis of objective criteria, including lack of potable water supply, lack of adequate sewage systems, and lack of decent, safe, and sanitary housing; and was in existence as a colonia before November 28, 1990.
Not later than 3 business days before awarding a grant under this section, the Secretary shall notify the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate of the intention to award such a grant. In this section: The term eligible applicant means— a State; a metropolitan planning organization or a regional transportation planning organization; a unit of local government; a Federal land management agency; an Indian Tribe or Tribal organization; a territory; and a multijurisdictional group of entities described in subparagraph
(A)through (F). The term off-system bridge has the meaning given such term in section 133(f) of title 23, United States Code, (as added by this Act). The term rural community means an area that is not an urbanized area, as such term is defined in section 101(a) of title 23, United States Code.