Bill · H.R. 3663· House(119-HR-3663)
Bridge Protection Act
- Introduced
- 5/29/2025
- Last activity
- 5/30/2025 — Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.
- Sponsored by
- Jefferson Van Drew
- Cosponsors
- - 0 - 2
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Bridge Protection Act aims to amend title 23 of the United States Code to establish new requirements for owners of specific bridges. It requires owners of covered bridges—defined as those over navigable water built before 1996—to perform vessel collision vulnerability assessments. If a bridge exceeds specific risk thresholds, the owner must create and implement a risk reduction plan. The bill also establishes an interdisciplinary bridge safety team within the Department of Transportation. Additionally, it creates a grant program to fund assessments and physical improvements for these bridges.
Yes
Does this repair or build roads and bridges?+7
The bill provides $500 million in grants and mandates safety assessments to improve the structural integrity of covered bridges.
Does this give the federal government more power?+3
The bill increases federal oversight by requiring bridge owners to follow specific assessment and risk reduction mandates.
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?+2
The bill requires assessment results to be integrated into the National Bridge Inventory.
The opposite
Would business owners be better off under this?-2
The bill imposes new compliance costs and assessment requirements on bridge owners.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Safety Improvements Through Assessments: Owners of covered bridges will be required to conduct vessel collision vulnerability assessments using specific methods, which helps identify potential risks (Section 2(a)).
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Risk Mitigation: If a bridge is found to be at high risk, the owner is mandated to develop and implement a risk reduction plan, which can improve structural safety (Section 2(a)(b)(1)).
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Financial Assistance for Improvements: The bill establishes a grant program that can provide money for assessments and physical improvements to covered bridges (Section 2(a)(c)).
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Expert Oversight: The creation of an interdisciplinary bridge safety team, including members from the Federal Highway Administration, the Coast Guard, and the Corps of Engineers, provides specialized guidance and oversight (Section 2(a)(b)).
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Data Integration: The Secretary of Transportation will integrate assessment results into the National Bridge Inventory, while maintaining the ability to protect sensitive security data (Section 2(a)(c)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Loss of Funding: Owners of covered bridges who fail to develop and implement a required risk reduction plan may become ineligible for any Federal grants related to that bridge starting October 1, 2026 (Section 2(a)(b)(2)).
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Compliance Burdens: Owners of covered bridges are required to conduct specific assessments and, if necessary, develop and implement risk reduction plans within a one-year timeframe (Section 2(a)(b)(1)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Improves Roads And Bridges+7
- Governance And Ideology
- Increases Federal Power+3Improves Government Transparency+2
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Business Owners-2
- 10/28/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 5/30/2025
- Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.
- 5/29/2025
- Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in House
Dina TitusDemocrat · Nevada
Eugene VindmanDemocrat · Virginia