U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) outlined his Bridge Investment Act in a recent news conference, which calls for significant investment in bridge repair projects throughout Ohio.
Brown said that $30 billion of the infrastructure bill would be reserved for Ohio and hopes the plan will be approved as part of Congress’ and President Donald Trump’s infrastructure plan. President Trump has called for $1 trillion in infrastructure spending, and in a recent New York Times interview noted that the nation’s bridges are in bad shape.
Of the 28,284 bridges in Ohio, nearly 2,000 are classified as “structurally deficient” and more than 4,500 are classified as “functionally obsolete.” The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates there is a $123 billion bridge repair backlog nationally, with $30 billion of bridge repair needs identified in Ohio.
“We need to make robust investments in infrastructure, so people can get to work, kids can get to school, and we can move goods and services that support Ohio jobs,” said Brown. “That’s why I introduced the Bridge Investment Act, which will put Americans to work repairing and updating Ohio bridges with American iron and steel.”
Brown’s respective committees represent key committees in developing an infrastructure package. The bill would help repair bridges of all sizes in urban and rural areas, and require all projects to use American-made steel and iron for bridge projects funded by the bill.
Brown’s bill would also:
- Ensure that a bipartisan infrastructure package could eliminate the national bridge repair backlog, if the new bill is added to such a package.
- Create an innovative evaluation process for proposed projects to ensure the fair and efficient allocation of federal funding.
- Bundle medium and small projects into a single application to cut down on red tape and accelerate repairs.
- Allow entities of all sizes and scope to apply for funding, including: states, counties, cities, metropolitan planning organizations, special purpose districts, public authorities with transportation functions, federal land management agencies and Indian tribes.
