As the Post Bulletin noted yesterday, this amendment was anticipated to make its way into the legislation without much trouble. The Winona Daily News covered the story today in Interstate Bridge closure spurs Walz amendment to bridge bill:
Cities such as Winona could more easily mitigate the effects of critical bridge closures under a bill amendment proposed by Rep. Tim Walz, DFL-Minn.
A federal bill that would increase funding for America’s deficient bridges, scheduled for a vote today, could include a proposal by Walz to require the Secretary of Transportation to report to Congress whether a federal-aid bridge is closed because of a critical inspection finding.
The report, which would be due 15 days after a bridge closure, would assess and recommend actions to mitigate the impact of the closure on the local economy and transportation patterns, Walz spokeswoman Meredith Salsbery said.
From the congressional office:
WALZ AMENDMENT ADDED TO HOUSE-PASSED BRIDGE INSPECTION BILL
Walz provision ensures prompt federal response to situations like Winona's bridge closure(Washington, DC) - Just weeks after the Highway 43 bridge in Winona, MN was closed, causing significant problems for local commuters and area businesses, Congressman Walz successfully added an amendment to a federal bridge inspection bill to help address some of the problems that arose from that closure.
Walz's amendment to H.R. 3999, the National Highway Bridge Reconstruction and Inspection Act, requires the Secretary of Transportation to report to Congress on the economic impact and affect on regional transportation patterns when a bridge is closed for emergency repairs. Walz's amendment also requires the Secretary to suggest steps to lessen the impact of the economic and transportation problems that the bridge closure may cause.
"The sudden closure of the Highway 43 Bridge in Winona caused extreme hardship for many hard-working families, employers and businesses," said Walz. "People were faced with detours of up to 100 miles round-trip, which was especially difficult during this time of record-high gas prices. In the first week alone, the bridge closure cost the city of Winona $95,000, which doesn't even begin to address the incalculable expenses that area residents and businesses incurred to navigate around the closed bridge. My amendment will help ensure that the Department of Transportation plays an active role in finding ways to lessen the economic impact and transportation problems that will arise from future bridge closures."
The National Highway and Bridge Reconstruction and Inspection Act will improve the safety of Federal-aid highway bridges such as Winona's Highway 43 Bridge, will strengthen bridge inspection standards and processes, and increase investment in the reconstruction of structurally deficient bridges on the National Highway System. The bill also revises national bridge inspection standards to provide for annual inspections of structurally deficient highway bridges, including biennial inspections of those bridges that have not been determined to be structurally deficient.
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