WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Dianne Feinstein (both D-Calif.) today called on Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to ensure fair distribution of funds from the Bridge Investment Program. The senators urged the Transportation Department to revise its criteria for evaluating seismic retrofit projects, including the Golden Gate Bridge.

“The Golden Gate Bridge provides a vital transportation link in the state, serving up to 40 million vehicles a year, and is one of the most economically significant bridges in the country,” the senators wrote. “Yet this bridge, and others like it, are disadvantaged when applying for funding under the Bridge Investment Program, because its main threat comes from earthquakes rather than other types of disasters or structural risk.

“The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway, and Transportation District has designed the retrofit project in strict accordance with applicable design specifications so that it may withstand a ‘maximum credible event,’ including a catastrophic earthquake, which available science unfortunately assesses is overdue. However, despite requiring these important design standards, the Department penalizes these projects and refuses funding because seismic events are rare in any single year despite their destructive nature and likelihood over several years.”

Full text of the letter is available here and below:

Dear Secretary Buttigieg:

We write to express our concern that the Department of Transportation is neglecting to ensure fair distribution of Bridge Investment Program funds for seismic retrofit projects.  Specifically, we urge the Department to revise its criteria for evaluating seismic retrofit projects for projects such as the Golden Gate Bridge.

We are very proud of our roles in passing the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, which included $12.5 billion for the Bridge Investment Program, the express purpose of which is to “replace, rehabilitate, preserve, or protect” highway bridges. The Golden Gate Bridge provides a vital transportation link in the state, serving up to 40 million vehicles a year, and is one of the most economically significant bridges in the country.  Yet this bridge, and others like it, are disadvantaged when applying for funding under the Bridge Investment Program, because its main threat comes from earthquakes rather than other types of disasters or structural risk.

The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway, and Transportation District has designed the retrofit project in strict accordance with applicable design specifications so that it may withstand a “maximum credible event,” including a catastrophic earthquake, which available science unfortunately assesses is overdue. However, despite requiring these important design standards, the Department penalizes these projects and refuses funding because seismic events are rare in any single year despite their destructive nature and likelihood over several years.

The Department’s flawed “benefit-cost analysis” methodology for evaluating seismic retrofit projects conflicts with Congressional intent in establishing and funding this program.

We urge you to conduct a thorough review of the benefit-cost analysis methodology and incorporate necessary changes as you develop criteria for the Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Bridge Investment Program. The Golden Gate Bridge, along with other critical seismic retrofit projects, deserves a fair chance to compete for funds under this program and fulfill the program’s purpose—to protect necessary bridge infrastructure from avoidable damage.

Thank you for your attention to our request. We look forward to working with you to ensure sufficient federal funding for the seismic retrofit of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Sincerely,

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