Essential Highway Reauthorization Amendments of 1987

Essential Highway Reauthorization Amendments of 1987 - Title I: Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1987 - Authorizes appropriations out of the Highway Account of the Highway Trust Fund for FY 1987 through 1990 for: (1) the Federal-aid Interstate primary program; (2) the Interstate substitution program; (3) the bridge replacement and rehabilitation program; (4) the territorial highway program for the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; (5) the Federal lands highways program; (6) highway safety programs; (7) certain hazard elimination and rail-highway crossing projects; (8) emergency relief projects; and (9) certain minimum apportionments.

Authorizes FY 1987 through 1990 appropriations for the Bureau of Motor Carrier Safety.

Sets guidelines under which authorizations for specified Federal-aid highway programs are determined by the average annual net highway tax receipts in the highway account of the Highway Trust Fund for FY 1987 through 1990.

Mandates that the Federal share of net income from the revenues obtained by a State for sales, uses, or leases of right-of-way airspace be used by the State for eligible projects under the Federal-aid highway program.

Merges Interstate construction, Interstate rehabilitation, and primary programs into a single program (the Interstate/Primary program). Authorizes States to allocate funds for any projects currently permitted under these programs. Eliminates the Federal-aid secondary and urban systems.

Requires the repayment of Federal funds spent on construction items, materials, and rights-of-way on an Interstate or primary system if they are not applied to a transportation project within ten years.

Sets forth apportionment and allocation guidelines for the Federal-aid system.

Provides funding for both substitute highway and urban mass transit projects from the Highway Account of the Highway Trust Fund (thus eliminating the separate authorization for substitute transit projects).

Directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish Federal inspection procedures for construction performed by State highway departments upon the Federal-aid system. Repeals the proscription against the use of convict-produced materials in Federal-aid highway system construction projects.

Reduces a State's apportionment for the Federal-aid Interstate-primary program if: (1) the State fails to certify that a maintenance program is in effect for the Interstate System; or (2) the Secretary determines that a State is not adequately maintaining the Interstate System.

Repeals the authority of the Secretary to discharge his or her construction oversight responsibilities regarding Federal-aid highway projects by accepting State certification that such projects are being implemented in accordance with State criteria that coincide with Federal criteria.

Sets guidelines for the apportionment of sums and the Federal share payable for the Federal-aid highway program. Makes funds available to the State of Alaska for construction of access and development roads on the Federal-aid system.

Sets forth, with specified exceptions, a maximum 75 percent Federal share of construction costs for: (1) primary system highways other than Interstate highways; and (2) bridge replacement and rehabilitation (for which current law fixes an 80 percent share). Sets a 90 percent maximum Federal share for Interstate projects and an 85 percent maximum share for Interstate substitute projects. Limits the Federal share for emergency relief projects to the normal rate for a project on a system, except under certain circumstances when it may increase to 100 percent. Repeals the increased share of 100 percent for traffic control signalization substitution, pavement marking, and commuter carpooling and vanpooling projects.

Makes the Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa eligible for Federal emergency relief funds for highway repair of damage caused by certain catastrophic failures or natural disasters. Permits the State of Maine and its offshore islands to maintain ferry operations in foreign or international waters.

Authorizes the obligation of Federal-aid Interstate-Primary program funds for an Interstate 4R project (rehabilitation and repair project) on a toll road designated as part of the Interstate System if an agreement has been reached between the Secretary and the appropriate State officials that such road will become free to the public when such tolls are sufficient to liquidate its operation and debt service.

Provides for funding of projects to eliminate hazards at railway-highway crossings.

Makes certain apportioned funds available for implementation of the Strategic Highway Research Program. Requires the Secretary to develop criteria under which such funds shall be used to conduct research, development, and technology transfer determined to be strategically important to the national highway transportation system. Declares that no State matching share is required for such sums.

Directs the Secretary to implement a transportation needs planning process with State and local officials only for urbanized areas of 200,000 (currently 50,000) population or more.

Reduces from $10,000,000 to $2,500,000 the maximum sum which the Secretary is authorized to deduct for the administration of highway construction improvement programs. Authorizes the States to obligate a specified percentage of funds for such programs.

Amends the Federal highway bridge replacement and rehabilitation program to require States to maintain a current inventory of all bridges subject to the National Bridge Inspection Standards.

Includes in the Federal bridge program only non-Interstate primary system bridges. Makes bridges on the Interstate system eligible for Federal funds under the Interstate/Primary program.

Declares that the Federal-aid Interstate-primary program shall consist of projects for the construction, rehabilitation, and improvement of the primary and Interstate System, and requires the Secretary to give priority consideration to: (1) completion of essential gaps on the Interstate System; and (2) rehabilitation of existing highway facilities.

Directs the Secretary to allocate authorized appropriations for forest highways within the Forest Service regions and States according to the needs to various elements of the National Forest System.

Amends the Federal Lands Highways Program to declare that funds available for park roads and parkways and Indian reservation roads shall be used by the Secretary and the Secretary of the Interior to pay for certain planning and construction costs.

Amends the territorial highway program to require the designation in each territory of a territorial Federal-aid highway system including all highways eligible for funding.

Amends the highway research and planning program to require that a minimum of one and one-half percent of sums apportioned each fiscal year to any State under the Federal-aid highways program be used for specified highway planning and research.

Requires the Secretary to periodically report to the Congress concerning bridge projects, inspections, and rehabilitation conducted under the highway research and planning program.

Decreases from one-half of one percent to one-quarter of one percent the National Highway Institute funds available for expenditure by a State highway department for the education and training of State and local highway department employees. Requires the Secretary (who currently is merely authorized) to provide education and training of highway employees at no cost to State and local governments for those subject areas which are a Federal program responsibility.

Outlines the conditions under which real property may be donated by a person to a State or Federal agency.

Amends the General Bridge Act of 1906 to repeal Federal regulatory authority over bridge tolls.

Amends the Federal-aid Highway Act of 1978 to repeal the September 30, 1986, deadline for commencing construction on all Interstate segments and substitute projects. States that general Federal bridge authority applies to all bridges heretofore constructed under congressional authority, including bridges constructed under toll provisions.

Makes interim provisions for certain unobligated funds.

Title II: Highway Block Grant Act of 1987 - Prescribes guidelines for: (1) the apportionment of authorized appropriations; (2) progress payments to the States; (3) allocations to urbanized areas of 200,000 population or more; and (4) certain eligible highway construction and bridge rehabilitation projects.

Replaces the highway and transit funding mechanism currently administered under the Federal Highway Administration and the Urban Mass Transportation Act with a block grant program funding mechanism wherein all funding is derived from the fees paid into the Highway Trust Fund. Provides for a maximum Federal share of 75 percent for such eligible projects.

Requires each State to provide annual written assurances regarding the distribution of the highway block grants. Makes Federal nondiscrimination statutes applicable to federally assisted programs under the highway block grant. Authorizes the Secretary to withhold payments from a non-complying governmental unit.

Authorizes appropriations for FY 1987 through 1990 to implement the highway block grant program.