$2-Billion Oberstar Bridge Bill Clears House Committee
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has approved a bill that would authorize an additional $2 billion over two years to fix deficient bridges and also set tougher standards for bridge inspections. The measure, approved by voice vote on Oct. 31, comes in the aftermath of the Aug. 1 bridge collapse in Minneapolis, but the bill's funding is much smaller than committee Chairman James Oberstar's initial concept.
A week after the I-35W bridge collapse, Oberstar, a Minnesota Democrat, proposed a new trust fund aimed at deficient bridges on major U.S. arterials. At the time, he suggested financing the program by a five-cent-per gallon hike in the federal gasoline tax. That increase would bring in about $25 billion over three years, he said.