On Thursday, Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN) introduced legislation prioritizing funding for bridges, which he said will address America’s deficiencies in bridge infrastructure.
The bill, The National Bridge Replacement and Improvement Act, would create a grant program for bridge improvements, replacements and/or repairs.
In Minnesota, structurally deficient bridges are crossed an estimated 1.5 million times every day. Nationally, 80 percent of structurally deficient bridges are located in rural areas. And according to the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, over a third of U.S. bridges are structurally deficient.
Emmer said his bill would help the U.S. Department of Transportation to achieve its stated goal of eliminating the backlog of bridge projects by 2032.
“Roads and bridges are the essential components of our infrastructure. In the land of 10,000 lakes, bridges connect our communities and ease our commutes. In 2007, a bridge collapsed in my home state, in the heart of the Twin Cities. We lost 13 Minnesotans and another 145 were injured. This tragedy happened in a thriving metropolitan area. We rebuilt and recovered, but we still must ensure this never happens again.” said Emmer. “Cities across our nation have dangerous bridge crossings, and our rural areas face even more pronounced infrastructure challenges. Over a decade after the collapse of the I35W bridge, our nation still has far too many bridges with structural deficiencies, and not enough is being done to address these serious safety concerns. I am proud to introduce legislation that will prioritize bridge safety and rural infrastructure projects.”