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. 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 about 70,000 structurally deficient bridges across the country.
The White House has said it opposes the bill unless the $1 billion provision is deleted. The administration said its own request of $39.4 billion in federal aid to states for highways, roads and bridges next year “is both responsive to current needs and consistent with budgetary realities.”
