Mandatory Rail Bridge Safety Standards and Public Inspection Data Access.
This law mandates minimum structural safety standards and condition classifications (poor, fair, good) for all railroad bridges nationwide. It significantly increases public transparency by requiring the creation of a public database detailing bridge conditions and mandating visible signage on bridges for citizens to report hazards directly. Railroad companies face substantial weekly penalties for failing to address safety concerns or for discrepancies in their inspection reports.
Key points
Establishes mandatory national structural standards for railroad bridges, classifying their condition as poor, fair, or good.
Requires the Department of Transportation to create a public database showing the condition and inspection date of railroad bridges.
Mandates that railroads post visible signs on bridges with owner information and a phone number for the public to report safety concerns.
Introduces randomized, short-notice federal inspections and imposes weekly fines on railroads that fail to repair bridges posing an imminent hazard.
Expired
Citizen Poll