Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 109 Part 1.djvu/644

 109 STAT. 628 PUBLIC LAW 104^59—NOV. 28, 1995 (C) the only segment of the Capital Beltway with a remaining expected life of less than 10 years; (7) the Bridge is the only part of the Interstate System owned by the Federal Government; (8)(A) the Bridge was constructed by the Federal Government; (B) prior to the date of the enactment of this Act, the Federal Government has contributed 100 percent of the cost of building and rehabilitating the Bridge; and (C) the Federal Government has a continuing responsibility to fund future costs associated with the upgrading of the Interstate Route 95 crossing, including the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the Bridge; (9) the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge Coordination Committee is undertaking planning studies pertaining to the Bridge, consistent with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and other applicable Federal laws; (10) the transfer of ownership of the Bridge to a regional entity under the terms and conditions described in this title would foster regional transportation planning efforts to identify solutions to the growing problem of traffic congestion on and around the Bridge; (11) any material change to the Bridge must take into account the interests of nearby communities, the commuting public. Federal, State, and local government organizations, and other affected groups; and (12) a commission of congressional. State, and local officials and transportation representatives has recommended to the Secretary that the Bridge be transferred to an independent authority to be established by the Capital Region jurisdictions. SEC. 403. PURPOSES. The purposes of this title are— (1) to grant consent to the Commonwealth of Virginia, the State of Maryland, and the District of Columbia to establish by interstate agreement or compact the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge Authority; (2) to authorize the transfer of ownership of the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge to the Authority for the purposes of owning, constructing, maintaining, and operating a bridge or tunnel or a bridge and tunnel project across the Potomac River; and (3) to direct the Secretary to continue working with the parties that comprise the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge Coordination Committee to complete all planning, preliminary engineering and design, environmental studies and documentation, and final engineering, and to submit a proposed agreement to Congress by October 1, 1996, that specifies the selected alternative, implementation schedule, and costs of the Project and the Federal share of the costs of the activities to be carried out as part of the Project. SEC. 404. DEFINITIONS. In this title, the following definitions apply: (1) AUTHORITY.— The term "Authority" means the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge Authority established under section 405.

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