Bridge bill includes amendment prompted by Winona bridge closure
By Frederic J. Frommer The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The House overwhelmingly passed legislation Thursday aimed at improving the safety of the nation’s bridges, nearly a year after the deadly collapse of an interstate highway bridge in Minneapolis and a month after the emergency closure of Winona’s Interstate Bridge.

The vote was 367-55.
The legislation would authorize an additional $1 billion next year to rebuild structurally deficient bridges on the national highway system, and require states to come up with plans to fix such bridges. The Minneapolis bridge on Interstate 35W was one of approximately 70,000 structurally deficient bridges across the country. Winona’s Interstate Bridge — closed for nearly two weeks in June — is also one of those bridges.

The bill was sponsored by Rep. Jim Oberstar, a Minnesota Democrat. Rep. Tim Walz, DFL-Minn., authored an amendment inspired by his observations witnessed following the Winona bridge closure. The amendment requires the Secretary of Transportation to report to Congress on the economic impacts and regional transportation patterns when a bridge is closed for emergency repairs.

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