Bridge Corrosion Prevention and Repair Act of 2025

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4170 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4170

 To require that certain aspects of bridge projects be carried out by
             certified contractors, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 26, 2025

Mr. Garamendi (for himself, Mr. Bost, Mr. Deluzio, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Ms.
    Brownley, Mr. Krishnamoorthi, Mr. Gottheimer, and Ms. Elfreth)
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
                   Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 To require that certain aspects of bridge projects be carried out by
             certified contractors, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Bridge Corrosion Prevention and
Repair Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. CORROSION PREVENTION FOR BRIDGES.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Applicable bridge project.--The term ``applicable
        bridge project'' means a project for construction, replacement,
        rehabilitation, preservation, or protection, other than de
        minimis work, as determined by the entity carrying out the
        project, on--
                    (A) a bridge project that receives financial
                assistance under title 23, United States Code; or
                    (B) a project for a railroad bridge (as defined in
                section 237.5 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations
                (or successor regulations)) that receives financial
                assistance under title 49, United States Code.
            (2) Certified contractor.--The term ``certified
        contractor'' means a contracting or subcontracting firm that
        has been certified by a third-party organization recognized
        industry-wide that evaluates the capability of the contractor
        or subcontractor to properly perform 1 or more specified
        aspects of an applicable bridge project described in subsection
        (b)(2).
            (3) Qualified training program.--The term ``qualified
        training program'' means a training program in corrosion
        control, mitigation, and prevention that is--
                    (A) offered by an organization that provides
                trainees with a certification that meets the ANSI/NACE
                Number 13/SSPC-ACS-1 standard (or a successor standard)
                or another standard approved by the Administrator of
                the Federal Highway Administration; or
                    (B) an industrial coatings applicator training
                program--
                            (i) registered under the Act of August 16,
                        1937 (commonly known as the ``National
                        Apprenticeship Act'') (50 Stat. 664, chapter
                        663; 29 U.S.C. 50 et seq.); and
                            (ii) that meets the standards of subpart A
                        of part 29 and part 30 of title 29, Code of
                        Federal Regulations (or successor regulations).
    (b) Applicable Bridge Projects.--
            (1) Quality control.--A certified contractor shall carry
        out aspects of an applicable bridge project described in
        paragraph (2).
            (2) Aspects of applicable bridge projects.--Aspects of an
        applicable bridge project referred to in paragraph (1)
        include--
                    (A) surface preparation or coating application on
                steel, concrete, or rebar of an applicable bridge
                project;
                    (B) removal of a lead-based or other hazardous
                coating from steel or concrete of an existing
                applicable bridge project; and
                    (C) shop painting of structural steel or rebar
                fabricated for installation on an applicable bridge
                project.
            (3) Corrosion management system.--In carrying out an
        applicable bridge project, the entity carrying out the project
        shall--
                    (A) implement a corrosion management system that
                utilizes industry-recognized standards and corrosion
                mitigation and prevention methods to address different
                considerations, including--
                            (i) surface preparation;
                            (ii) protective coatings;
                            (iii) materials selection;
                            (iv) cathodic protection;
                            (v) corrosion engineering;
                            (vi) personnel training; and
                            (vii) best practices in environmental
                        protection to prevent environmental degradation
                        and uphold public health; and
                    (B) require certified contractors, for the purpose
                of carrying out aspects of applicable bridge projects
                described in paragraph (2), to employ a substantial
                number of individuals that are trained and certified by
                a qualified training program.
            (4) Certification.--For an applicable bridge project that
        includes an aspect described in paragraph (2), the entity
        carrying out the project shall only accept bids from a
        certified contractor that presents written proof that the
        certification of the contractor meets the relevant (AMPP) SSPC-
        QP standards (or a successor standard).
    (c) Training Program.--As a condition of entering into a contract
for an applicable bridge project, each certified contractor shall
provide training for each individual who is not a certified coating
applicator but that the certified contractor employs to carry out
aspects of applicable bridge projects described in subsection (b)(2).

SEC. 3. AVAILABILITY OF FEDERAL GRANT FUNDING FOR CORROSION CONTROL
              WORK ON RAIL BRIDGES.

    Section 22402(b)(1) of title 49, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (E), by striking ``or'' at the end;
            (2) by redesignating subparagraph (F) as subparagraph (G);
        and
            (3) by inserting after subparagraph (E) the following:
                    ``(F) to perform corrosion control work on rail
                bridges; or''.

SEC. 4. STUDY ON EFFICACY OF WEATHERING STEEL.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) weathering steel is often used for bridge construction
        projects because of its ability to withstand weather conditions
        better than other forms of steel;
            (2) the collapse of the Fern Hollow Bridge in Pittsburgh,
        Pennsylvania, in January 2022 highlights the real threat that
        corrosion poses to the bridges of the United States;
            (3) more research is needed into the vulnerabilities of
        weathering steel; and
            (4) States and units of local government need more
        information on when and how to address the risk of corrosion to
        weathering steel.
    (b) Study.--Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of
this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall--
            (1) carry out a study on best practices for--
                    (A) the frequency and method of inspecting
                corrosion on weathering steel bridges; and
                    (B) addressing corrosion on weathering steel
                bridges;
            (2) submit to the Committee on Environment and Public Works
        of the Senate, the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
        Transportation of the Senate, and the Committee on
        Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of
        Representatives a report on the results of the study under
        paragraph (1); and
            (3) make the report under paragraph (2) available to State
        departments of transportation, metropolitan planning
        organizations (as defined in section 134(b) of title 23, United
        States Code), regional transportation planning organizations
        (as defined in that section), and units of local government
        that own bridge assets.
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