APPLIED RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM; SEISMIC RESEARCH PROGRAM.

SEC. 6005. APPLIED RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM; SEISMIC RESEARCH PROGRAM. (a) In General.— Section 307 of title 23, United States Code, is amended by redesignating subsections (e) and (f) as subsections (g) and (h), respectively, and by inserting after subsection (d) the following new subsections: “(e) Applied Research and Technology Program.— “(1) Establishment.— The Secretary shall establish and implement in accordance with this subsection an applied research and technology program for the purpose of accelerating testing, evaluation, and implementation of technologies which are designed to improve the durability, efficiency, environmental impact, productivity, and safety of highway, transit, and inter-modal transportation systems. “(2) Guidelines.— Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall issue guidelines to carry out this subsection. Such guidelines shall include: “(A) Technologies.— Guidelines on the selection of both foreign and domestic technologies to be tested. “(B) Test locations.— Guidelines on the selection of locations at which tests will be conducted. Such guidelines shall ensure that testing is conducted in a range of climatic, traffic, geographic, and environmental conditions, as appropriate for the technology being tested. “(C) Data.— Guidelines for the scientific collection, evaluation, and dissemination of appropriate test data. “(3) Technologies.— Technologies which may be tested under this subsection include, but are not limited to— “(A) accelerated construction materials and procedures; “(B) environmentally beneficial materials and procedures; “(C) materials and techniques which provide enhanced serviceability and longevity under adverse climactic, environmental, and load effects; “(D) technologies which increase the efficiency and productivity of vehicular travel; and “(E) technologies and techniques which enhance the safety and accessibility of vehicular transportation systems. “(4) Heated bridge technologies.— “(A) Projects.— As part of the program under this subsection, the Secretary shall carry out projects to assess the state of technology with respect to heating the decks of bridges and the feasibility of, and costs and benefits associated with, heating the decks of bridges. Such projects shall be carried out by installing heating equipment on the decks of bridges which are being replaced or rehabilitated under section 144 of this title. “(B) Minimum number of bridges.— The number of bridges for which heating equipment is installed under this subsection in a fiscal year shall not be less than 10 bridges. “(5) Elastomer modified asphalt.— As part of the program under this subsection, the Secretary shall carry out a project in the State of New Jersey to demonstrate the environmental and safety benefits of elastomer modified asphalt. 105 STAT. 2171 “(6) High performance blended hydraulic cement.— As part of the program under this subsection, the Secretary shall carry out a project in the State of Missouri to demonstrate the durability and construction efficiency of high performance blended hydraulic cement. “(7) Thin bonded overlay and surface lamination of pavement.— As part of the program under this subsection, the Secretary shall carry out projects to assess the state of technology with respect to thin bonded overlay (including inorganic bonding systems) and surface lamination of pavement, and to assess the feasibility of, and costs and benefits associated with, the repair, rehabilitation, and upgrading of highways and bridges with overlay. Such projects shall be carried out so as to minimize overlay thickness, minimize initial laydown costs, minimize time out of service, and maximize lifecycle durability. “(8) All weather pavement markings.— As part of the program under this subsection, the Secretary shall carry out a program to demonstrate the safety and durability of all weather pavement markings. “(9) Testing of highway technologies.— Projects carried out under this subsection to test technologies related to highways shall be carried out on highways on the Federal-aid system. “(10) Technical assistance.— The Secretary shall provide technical assistance to States and localities in carrying out projects under this subsection. “(11) Annual report.— Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this subsection, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall transmit to the Committee on Public Works and Transportation of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate a report on the progress and research findings of the program carried out under this subsection. “(12) Federal share.— The Federal share of the cost of a project carried out under this subsection shall not exceed 80 percent. “(13) Funding.— The Secretary shall expend from administrative and research funds deducted under section 104(a) of this title and funds made available under section 26(a)(1) of the Federal Transit Act, “$35,000,000 for fiscal year 1992 and $41,000,000 per fiscal year for each of fiscal years 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1997 to carry out this subsection. Of such amounts, in each of fiscal years 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1997, the Secretary shall expend not less than $4,000,000 per fiscal year to carry out projects related to heated bridge technologies under paragraph (4), not less than $2,500,000 per fiscal year to carry out projects related to thin bonded overlay and surface lamination of pavements under paragraph (7), and not less than $2,000,000 per fiscal year to carry out projects related to all weather pavement markings under paragraph (8). Amounts made available under this subsection shall remain available until expended and shall not be subject to any obligation limitation. “(f) Seismic Research Program.— “(1) Establishment.— The Secretary shall establish a program to study the vulnerability of highways, tunnels, and bridges on the Federal-aid system to earthquakes and develop 105 STAT. 2172and implement cost-effective methods of retrofitting such highways, tunnels, and bridges to reduce such vulnerability. “(2) Cooperation with national center for earthquake engineering research.— The Secretary shall conduct the program under this section in cooperation with the National Center for Earthquake Engineering Research at the University of Buffalo. “(3) Cooperation with agencies participating in national hazards reduction program.— The Secretary shall further conduct the program under this section in consultation and cooperation with Federal departments and agencies participating in the National Hazards Reduction Program established by section 5 of the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977 and shall take such actions as may be necessary to ensure that the program under this subsection is consistent with— “(A) planning and coordination activities of the Federal Emergency Management Agency under section 5(b)(1) of such Act; and “(B) the plan developed by the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency under section 8(b) of such Act. “(4) Funding.— Of amounts deducted under section 104(a) of this title, the Secretary shall expend not more than $2,000,000 per fiscal year in each of fiscal years 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1997 to carry out this subsection. “(5) Report.— Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall transmit to the Committee on Public Works and Transportation of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate a report on the progress and research findings of the program carried out under this section.”. (b) Highway and Bridge Conditions and Performance Report.— Section 307(h) of title 23, United States Code, as redesignated by subsection (a), is amended by adding at the end the following new sentence: “The biennial reports required under this subsection shall provide the means, including all necessary information, to relate and compare the conditions and service measures used in different years when such measures are changed.”.