Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1978

(Conference report filed in House, H. Rept. 95-1797)

Surface Transportation Assistance Act - =Title I: Federal-Aid Highway Act= - Amends the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 to revise and extend the authorization for appropriations for the Interstate Highway System through fiscal year 1990. Prohibits the use of interstate construction funds apportioned to a State to expand or clear areas adjacent to Interstate routes designed prior to February, 1967. Specifies the method by which the Secretary of Transportation is to apportion interstate highway funds for fiscal year 1980.

Authorizes appropriations for various highway programs through fiscal year 1982.

Authorizes appropriations for the resurfacing of lanes in the Interstate system which have been in use for more than five years. Stipulates that the Federal share of such a project shall not exceed 70 percent of its cost.

Establishes a cutoff date for the designation and completion of the Interstate Highway System. Prohibits the construction of any portions of the Interstate Highway System for which no environmental impact statement is filed by September 30, 1983.

Provides that States will not be required to refund to the Fund, upon the withdrawal of routes, sums received by the State for certain costs.

Authorizes a State to transfer up to 50 percent of its primary, urban or secondary highway program apportionment from one of these programs to another.

Requires the Secretary to submit monthly reports to Congress regarding the obligations and expenditures for highway programs.

Directs State highway departments to give consideration in the development of highway programs to projects providing direct access to new communities.

Specifies the standards the Secretary shall use in determining whether any right-of-way on any Federal-aid system should be used by any utility.

Permits the continued operation of State-owned service stations on Interstate highways.

Provides that any funds not obligated by a State within a prescribed time period will lapse and go into a pool. Makes such pool of funds available to any State which has used up its regular apportionment and has projects ready to commence.

Requires each State to establish a program for the restoration of certain Interstate highways in use for more than five years. Authorizes the Secretary to approve funding out of the Highway Trust Fund for such programs according to a specified formula.

Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to States for traffic control signalization projects designed to conserve motor fuel and decrease traffic congestion.

Permits the Secretary to advance to any State 100 percent of the cost of construction of a toll bridge, tunnel, or approach if it is necessary to complete an essential gap in the Interstate System. Requires the State to repay such advance in later years.

Stipulates that Federal financial assistance for emergency repairs and reconstruction of roads on the Federal-aid system shall be entirely funded from the Highway Trust Fund.

Permits States to utilize funds for Federal-aid systems other than Interstate highways to study whether a privately owned toll bridge should be acquired by the State or a political subdivision.

Allows nonprofit organizations to advertise free coffee for highway travelers.

Requires just compensation be paid upon the removal of lawfully erected, but now prohibited, outdoor advertising signs.

Allows the use of electronic signs to provide public service information or to advertise activities on the premises along Interstate highways.

Requires each State to annually report to the Secretary regarding State enforcement of its vehicle weight limitations on the Federal-aid system.

Authorizes the Secretary to approve Federal participation in State projects for replacing unsafe highway bridges which are not on the Federal-aid system. Authorizes appropriations for such projects. Authorizes a State to use between 15 and 35 percent of such funds to repair or replace highway bridges which are not on any Federal-aid system. Permits the Secretary, after consulting with State and local officials, to reduce such amount if the State has inadequate needs to justify such expenditure.

Authorizes Federal assistance for toll bridges which subsidize federally assisted public transit systems.

Authorizes the Secretary to provide for the construction of spur highways to connect the Great River Road with existing bridges across the Mississippi River.

Amends the Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act to authorize the Secretary to approve carpool projects in urbanized areas that will not have an adverse effect on any mass transportation system. Exempts such projects from specified Interstate Commerce Commission regulations.

Directs the Secretary to allocate funds made available for pavement marking demonstration programs in a manner deemed by the Secretary most appropriate to expedite the completion of pavement markings on all highways.

Increases the amount of appropriations authorized for the construction of bridges across Federal dams which may be expended as an emergency fund to meet additional costs.

Increases the Federal share for specified highway programs.

Authorizes the reconstruction of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, Maryland, as agreed upon by the Secretary and Maryland's Secretary of Transportation, to preserve the Parkway's characteristics.

Authorizes the Secretary to begin preparations for a highway between Brunswick, Georgia, and Kansas City, Missouri.

Directs the Secretary to carry out a rural highway public transportation demonstration project in the Sherman, Texas - Denison, Texas area.

Amends the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1973 to authorize appropriations to the State of New Hampshire for expenditure on Federal-aid highways (other than Interstate System highways) which serve as alternative routes to the Franconia Notch Parkway.

Stipulates that the Federal share of railroad-highway crossing demonstration projects under the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1973 shall be 95 percent of the cost of such a project.

Amends the Federal-Aid Highway Amendments of 1974 to increase the authorization for construction of the Overseas Highway in the Florida Keys.

Requires the Secretary to submit a report to the Congress regarding methods to reduce the time necessary to complete highway projects.

Changes the date by which the National Transportation Policy Study Commission must submit its final report to the President and Congress.

Amends the Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965 to increase the Federal share for construction projects on the Appalachian development highway system and to increase the authorized mileage for such system.

Amends the act authorizing the pooling of tolls in the San Francisco Bay area to permit such pool to pay for the cost of new approaches to the San Mateo Bridge, California.

Designates specified routes in California and New York as part of the Interstate System.

Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to States and municipalities for the construction of bikeways in urbanized areas. Stipulates that the Federal share of such a project shall be 75 percent of its cost. Authorizes appropriations for such grants for fiscal years 1979 through 1982.

Authorizes the Secretary to approve financial assistance to a portion of the Alaska Railroad for the purpose of linking other federally assisted transportation modes.

Authorizes the Secretary to approve certain construction projects with respect to Interstate route 80 in New York State.

Prohibits the expenditure of Federal funds to erect or modify road signs solely using the metric system unless specifically authorized by Congress.

Authorizes the State of Maine to repay to the Highway Trust Fund funds received and expended for interchanges along the Maine Turnpike.

Authorizes the use of foreign built hovercraft to transport merchandise and passengers within the State of Alaska.

Directs the Secretary to carry out two projects demonstrating the feasibility of reducing the time required to replace unsafe bridges.

Exempts the facility owned by the Thousand Island Bridge Authority on the right-of-way of Interstate route 81 in New York State from certain restrictions prohibiting commercial establishments on such a right-of-way.

Authorizes an appropriation from the Highway Trust Fund for Minnesota for environmental impact statements necessary for the construction of the Bloomington Ferry Bridge.

Authorizes the Secretary to carry out access control demonstration projects designed to demonstrate whether preserving the capacity of existing highways to move traffic safely by acquiring and controlling the right of access to such highways is a cost effective alternative to the construction of additional highways.

Directs the Secretary, in cooperation with the States of New Mexico and Texas, to carry out a demonstration project to upgrade primary routes between Los Cruces, New Mexico, and Amarillo, Texas, and between Lubbock, Texas, and Interstate Route 10.

Authorizes the Secretary to carry out a demonstration project on the Federal-aid primary system for the construction of a bypass highway around Prairie Creek Redwood State Park in Humbolt County, California.

Directs the Secretary to conduct a demonstration project on the Interstate System to place vending machines in rest and recreation areas located on the rights-of-way of such System.

Authorizes appropriations for fiscal year 1979 through 1981 for a traffic management demonstration project.

Authorizes the Secretary to conduct a demonstration project in a metropolitan area with a population of 500,000 or more to restrict the access of motor vehicles to the central business district during peak traffic hours in order to determine the practicability of this method in reducing motor vehicle congestion.

Directs the Secretary to study and report to Congress by July 1, 1979, on the desirability of designating Interstate routes in Alaska and Puerto Rico.

Directs the Secretary, through the Federal Highway Administrator, to study and report to Congress regarding the possibility of relieving the Indiana Toll Road Commission of obligations resulting from the use of certain Federal funds.

Directs the Secretary to conduct a study on the feasiblity of an additional bridge across the Columbia River between Vancouver, Washington, and Portland, Oregon, and report by January 1, 1979.

Directs the Secretary to study the potential for reducing urban blight adjacent to federal-aid primary and Interstate highways located in central business districts.

Requires the Secretary to study and to try and resolve any conflicts between other Federal agencies concerning the requirements of certain energy, environmental, and highway laws.

Directs the Secretary to investigate the need for uniform maximum truck sizes and weights throughout the country including an evaluation of the economic effects of reducing vehicle weight limits in States with legal limits higher than the national maximum. Requires the Secretary to report to Congress on the results of such study by January 15, 1981.

Directs the Secretary, together with State highway departments, to study and report to Congress concerning techniques for alleviating the environmental, social, economic, and developmental impacts of increased train traffic to meet national energy requirements, specifically considering certain rail corridors.

Requires the Secretary to study and report to Congress regarding the need and methods for diverting a portion of the traffic from the Interstate bridges across the Mississippi River to others in the vicinity.

Requires the Secretary to study and report to Congress concerning the extent of each State's outstanding bonded indebtedness and the possibility of removing the tolls from certain highways.

Directs the Secretary to complete, within 90 days of enactment, the study of commuter access to the Dulles Airport Access Highway, Virginia, and to report to Congress.

Requires the Secretary to study various factors affecting the safe and efficient operation of bridges, tunnels, and roads.

Establishes a ceiling on obligations for Federal-aid highways and highway construction projects for fiscal year 1979.

Requires each States to establish a program to eliminate hazardous locations on the public roads. Stipulates that the Federal share of such projects will be 90 percent of the cost. Directs each State to report annually to the Secretary, who is to report to Congress, on the progress being made.

Directs the Secretary to cooperate with State and local officials in the development of transportation plans and programs in urban areas. Prohibits funding for any program not based on such a plan.

Establishes a National Alcohol Fuels Commission to study the potential for alcohol fuels and formulate the policy for the development of such fuels as an energy source.

=Title II - Highway Safety Act= - Authorizes appropriations through fiscal year 1982 for specified highway safety programs.

Amends the Highway Safety Act of 1973 to authorize appropriations through fiscal year 1982 for projects to eliminate hazards relating to rail-highway crossings.

Requires each State to annually certify to the Secretary that it is enforcing the national maximum speed limit. Directs the Secretary to reduce a State's apportionment for Federal-aid highway funds if the number of motor vehicles exceeding 55 miles per hour exceeds a specified percentage.

Authorizes appropriations for fiscal years 1979 through 1982 to the Secretary of Transportation for the acquisition, storage, and retrieval of highway accident data and for establishing procedures for reporting accidents on a nationwide basis.

Authorizes the Secretary to waive State Highway safety program standards for projects to identify highway accident causes and to reduce accidents. Provides for programs to encourage the use of safety belts.

Directs the Secretary to carry out six pilot projects designed, through the use of television and radio, to develop and evaluate methods to achieve maximum measurable effectiveness in reducing traffic accidents, injuries, and death. Authorizes appropriations for such purpose.

Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to States for the development of innovative approaches to highway safety problems. Requires the Secretary to report annually to Congress on the projects carried out with such grants.

Requires the Secretary to study and report to Congress with recommendations regarding: (1) the effect of requiring the wearing of safety helmets by motorcycle operators and passengers: (2) the operation of outsized vehicles on the highways: (3) the need for a national driver register to assist States in electronically exchanging information about certain individuals' driving records; and (4) the progress of efforts to detect and prevent marijuana and other drug use by motor vehicle operators.

Directs each State to spend at least two percent of its apportionment for programs to encourage the use of safety belts. Provides for a study and report to Congress by the National Academy of Sciences regarding methods to encourage the use of safety belts. Prohibits the use of funds for the purchase of any passive restraint system for any State or federally owned vehicle, unless such vehicle is primarily used in an educational program.

=Title III: Federal Public Transportation Act= - Amends the Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964 to revise the discretionary grant and loan program under such Act. Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to make such grants or loans to States and local public bodies and agencies for: (1) the construction or extension of fixed guideway systems; (2) the introduction of new technology into public transportation; (3) for financing the costs incurred in connection with projects for the acquisition of land and the costs of preparing such land for urban development purposes to enhance any mass transportation project approved under such Act; (4) acquisition, construction, and improvement of facilities and equipment to improve the coordination between public transportation and other forms of transportation and to enhance urban economic development and incorporate private investment; and (5) modification of equipment and fixed facilities deemed necessary by the Secretary to avoid any adverse effects resulting from the Northeast Corridor project.

Requires that applicants for such funds possess the legal, technical, and financial capacity to carry out the proposed project and that they have continuing control over the use of the facilities and equipment involved.

Authorizes the Secretary to announce an intention to obligate funds for a mass transportation project through the issuance of a letter of intent to the applicant. Stipulates that such a letter shall not be deemed as a commitment but as an intention to obligate funds from future appropriation Acts.

Permits the use of advance land acquisition loans for facility reconstruction and renovation.

Permits the Secretary to approve combined bus and rail projects utilizing both funds for routine purchases and for major fleet expansions and new starts.

Eliminates the present provision which earmarks a specified amount of the funds made available under such Act for areas other than urbanized areas.

Authorizes appropriations in specified amounts for each of the fiscal years 1979 through 1983 to carry out the discretionary grant and loan program, the urban, small urban, and rural transit programs, and for other grant programs under such Act.

Requires the Secretary to report to Congress: (1) quarterly on the status of the Federal public transportation program including a list of outstanding grants or other contractual agreements made under this Act, and (2) on proposed authorization requests covering fiscal years 1981 through 1984 and covering fiscal years 1983 through 1986.

Revises the apportionment formula for the mass transit grant program for urbanized areas. Stipulates that funding under the new formula shall be based on population, population density, commuter rail train miles, the number of fixed guideway route miles, and bus replacement costs and bus seat miles.

Stipulates that funds made available for areas with a population of 200,000 or over shall be received and dispensed by a recipient as designated by the Governor of the State and the local officials involved. Stipulates that with respect to areas with a population of less than 200,000, such funds shall be made available to the Governor of the State involved to be distributed in a fair and equitable manner.

Stipulates that any apportioned funds which remain unobligated three years following the fiscal year for which they were apportioned shall be added to the amount available for apportionment in the next fiscal year.

Stipulates that Federal funds available for expenditure for mass transportation projects shall not be in substitution for the average amount of State and local government funds and other transit revenues expended on transit operations in the area over the two prior fiscal years. Excludes reimbursement payments for the transportation of school children. Permits continued Federal assistance if reduced State and local government funding is offset by an increase in operating revenues through changes in the fare structure. Permits designated recipients that have been able to effect significant cost savings due to efficiencies resulting from shift of operations to have their required maintenance of effort (MOE) level reduced in an amount proportionate to the amount of savings effected by such efficiencies.

Requires the designated recipient to give the Secretary assurances that any public mass transportation system receiving financial assistance will not change fares or service (1) without holding public hearings and (2) taking into consideration the economic, environmental, and social impact of such change.

Directs the Secretary to cooperate with State and local officials in the development of transportation plans to meet future needs. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to States and local public bodies for planning and technical studies of public transportation projects.

Removes specified restrictions regarding the availability of fellowships for public transportation training programs.

Creates a program of grants for the purpose of establishing and operating Transportation Research Centers at nonprofit institutions of higher learning. Requires recipient institutions to report to the Secretary, who shall report to Congress, concerning progress solving transportation problems.

Authorizes the Interstate Commerce Commission to exempt State or local mass transportation services from certain Interstate Commerce Act provisions unless: (1) public interest would not be served; (2) it would result in an undue burden on interstate commerce; or (3) the services are not subject to State or local regulation. Requires such mass transportation systems to be subject to all Federal laws pertaining to safety and employer-employee relations.

Permits States or local public bodies to require suppliers of passenger seats for buses to meet local functional specifications.

Requires the Secretary to study and report to Congress regarding: (1) the procurement process utilized for the purchase of rolling stock and other technical, equipment; and (2) the development of a reporting system to accumlate public mass transportation systems information by July 1, 1979.

Authorizes the Secretary to make grants and loans to provide transportation services for the transportation needs of the elderly and handicapped.

Provides capital and operating assistance through a formula grant program for small urban and rural areas to promote public transportation in such areas.

Prohibits discrimination based on race, color, creed, national origin, sex, or age in any project or activity funded under such Act.

Permits the Secretary to undertake, or provide, financial assistance programs that address human resource needs as applied to public transportation activities, such as employment training programs.

Authorizes the Secretary to convert mass transportation equipment and facilities loans under such Act to capital grants under specified conditions.

Exempts manufactuers of retreaded tires from certain reporting requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966.

Directs the Secretary to make a study on establishing and operating a mass transportation system which would provide basic services with a minimum of amenities at low costs and to report the results of such study to Congress.

Requires the Secretary to study and report any recommendations to Congress concerning alternative methods of distributing funds apportioned for buses and related equipment and facilities.

Directs the Secretary, in consultation with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, to report to Congress concerning ways and means by which Federal mass transit funds can be allocated, taking into account air pollution as a criterion for distribution.

Directs the Secretary to carry out a demonstration project using high-speed water-borne transportation facilities and operating in the vicinity of New York, New York to determine the feasibility of utilizing this technology in providing certain public mass transportation service. Authorizes appropriations to carry out such project.

Requires the Secretary to assist fixed-guideway systems and evaluate light rail and commuter rail systems for the purpose of making such systems accessible to handicapped persons.

Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to States and local bodies to acquire, construct, or alter facilities and terminals for use in providing intercity bus service and in coordinating such service with other modes of transportation. Stipulates that the Federal share of such a project shall be 80 percent of its net cost. Authorizes appropriations through fiscal year 1982 to carry out such program.

Establishes a program of grants for the iniation, improvement, or continuation of intercity bus service to rural areas and small urban communities. Authorizes appropriations for such program. Requires the Secretary to evaluate and report to Congress regarding the need for subsidies for intercity bus services provided outside urbanized areas.

=Title IV:= Prohibits the Secretary from obligating funds authorized by this Act for any project exceeding $500,000 unless the materials used in construction are produced in the United States. Specifies exceptions to such requirement.

=Title V: Highway Revenue Act= - Extends for five years: (1) the taxes which are transferred into the Highway Trust Fund; (2) the Highway Trust Fund; and (3) the transfer of funds from the Highway Trust Fund to the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

Revises the method by which the apportionments to the States from the Fund will be adjusted in the event that expenditures are greater than estimated amounts available to the Fund.

Provides a refund for qualified taxicabs of the excise tax on fuel used in furnishing qualified services until December 31, 1980.

Directs the Secretary, in cooperation with State highway departments, to study and report to Congress concerning the costs and proportionate share attributable to the use of vehicles of different dimensions and weights on the design, construction, and maintenance of Federal-aid highways. Authorizes the Congressional Budget Office to assist the Secretary in such study.

Requires the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of Transportation, to review and report recommendations to Congress concerning the use of excise taxes to fund the Highway Trust Fund.