87 STAT. 267 the projects on said sections of Route 101 as provided in subsection (a) of this section, such sections of said route shall become and be free of any and all restrictions contained in title 23, United States Code, as amended or supplemented, or in any regulation thereunder, with 72 Stat. 885. respect to the imposition and collection of tolls or other charges 23 USC 101 thereon or for the use thereof. et seg. (c) The provisions of this section shall apply to the following Applicability. sections: (1) That section of Route 101 from Route 125 in Epping to Brentwood Corners, a distance of approximately two and thirty one-hundredths centerline miles. (2) That section of Route 101 in the vicinity of Sells Corner in Auburn, beginning approximately two and forty one-hundredths centerline miles east of the junction of Interstate Route 93 and running easterly approximately two miles. FREEING INTERSTATE TOLL BRIDGES SEC. 132. Section 129, title 23, United States Code, as amended by section 139 of this Act, is amended by adding at the end thereof the Post, p. 270. following new subsection: "(h) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 301 of this title, in 72 Stat. 912. the case of each State which, before January 1, 1975, shall have con- 23 USC 301. structed or acquired any interstate toll bridge (including approaches thereto), which before January 1, 1975, caused such toll bridge to be made free, which bridge is owned and maintained by such State or by a political subdivision thereof, and which bridge is on the Federal-aid primary system (other than the Interstate System), sums apportioned to such State in accordance with paragraphs (1) and (3) of subsection (b) of section 104 of this title shall be available to pay Ante, p. 256. the Federal share of a project under this subsection of (1) such 77 Stat. 276. amount as the Secretary determines to be the reasonable value of such bridge after deducting therefrom that portion of such value attributable to any grant or contribution previously paid by the United States in connection with the construction or acquisition of such bridge, and exclusive of rights-of-way, or (2) the amount by which the principal amount of the outstanding unpaid bonds or other obligations created and issued for the construction or acquisition of such bridge exceeds the amount of any funds accumulated or provided for their amortization, on the date such bridge is made free, whichever is the lesser amount." STUDY OF TOLL BRIDGE AUTHO TY SEC. 133. (a) The Secretary of Transportation is authorized and Federal statutes directed to undertake a full and complete investigation and study of and regulations, existing Federal statutes and regulations governing toll bridges over investigation the navigable waters of the United States for the purpose of deter- and study. mining what action can and should be taken to assure just and reasonable tolls nationwide. The Secretary shall submit a report of the Report to findings of such study and investigation to the Congress not later than Congress. July 1, 1974, together with his recommendations for modifications or additions to existing laws, regulations, and policies, except that in the case of the toll bridge at Chester, Illinois, the Secretary shall sub mit a report to the Congress not later than December 31, 1973. (b) The Secretary of Transportation shall promulgate regulations Regulations. establishing guidelines governing any increase in tolls for use of any bridge constructed pursuant to either the General Bridge Act of 1906 33 USC 491 note. or the General Bridge Act of 1946. 33 USC 525 note. 87 STAT. 268 Appropriation. Parks and recreation areas, user access study. Report to Nonapplicability. D.C. Code 7-108. Reports. 81 Stat. 772; 84 Stat. 1716. NATIONAL SCENIC HIGHWAY SYSTEM STUDY SEC. 134 (a) The Secretary of Transportation shall make a full and complete investigation and study to determine the feasibility of establishing a national system of scenic highways to link together and inake more accessible to the American people recreational, historical, scientific, and other similar areas of scenic interest and importance. In the conduct of such investigation and study, the Secretary shall cooperate and consult with other agencies of the Federal Government, the Commission on Highway Beautification, the States and their political subdivisions, and other interested private organizations, groups, and individuals. The Secretary shall report his findings and recommendations to the Congress not later than July 1, 1974, including an estimate of the cost of implementing such a program. There is authorized to be appropriated $250,000 from the Highway Trust Fund to carry out this subsection. (b) The Secretary of Transportation shall make a full and complete investigation and study to examine problems of user access to parks, recreation areas (including public recreation areas on Federal lakes), historic sites and wildlife refuges. Such study and investigation shall include, but not be limited to, an analysis of the desirability and feasibility of a national scenic road and parkways system referred to in subsection (a) including benefits to the user if any and the total long range environmental impact of such system on the Nation's recreation resources; alternatives to private automobile access to parks and recreation resources, including mass transit; and special problems of safe access to urban and metropolitan parks and recreation resources. In the conduct of such investigations and study, the Secretary shall cooperate and consult with other agencies of the Federal Government, the States and their political subdivisions, and interested private organizations, groups and individuals. The Secretary shall report his findings and recommendations to the Congress not later than January 1, 1975, including an estimate of the cost of implementing any suggested programs. DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA SEC. 135. None of the provisions of the Act entitled "An Act to provide a permanent system of highways in that part of the District of Columbia lying outside of cities", approved March 2, 1893 (27 Stat. 532), as amended, shall apply to any segment of the Interstate System within the District of Columbia. CORRIDOR HEARINGS SEC. 136. (a) The Secretary of Transportation shall permit no further action on Interstate Route I-287 between Montville and Mahwah, New Jersey, until new corridor hearings are held. (b) The Secretary of Transportation shall permit no further action on the Corporation Freeway, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, until new corridor hearings are held. (c) The new corridor hearings required by this section shall be held and the reports thereon shall be made no later than one year after the date of enactment of this section. INTERSTATE SYSTEM SEC. 137. (a) Paragraph (2) of subsection (e) of section 103 of title 23, United States Code, is amended as follows: (1) The first sentence is amended by striking out "additional mileage for the Interstate System of two hundred miles, to be used in making modifications" and inserting in lieu thereof "additional mileage for the Interstate System of five hundred miles, to be used in making modifications". (2) The fourth sentence is amended by striking out "the 1968 Interstate System cost estimate set forth in House Document Numbered 199, Ninetieth Congress, as revised." and inserting in lieu thereof the following: "the 1972 Interstate System cost estimate set forth in House Public Works Committee Print Numbered 92-29, as revised in House Report Numbered 92-1443." (3) The fifth sentence is amended by striking out "due regard" and inserting in lieu thereof the following: "preference, along with due regard for interstate highway type needs on a nationwide basis,". 87 STAT. 269 (b) Subsection (e) of section 103 of title 23, United States Code, is Ante, p. 268. amended by adding the following: "(4) Upon the joint request of a State Governor and the local governments concerned, the Secretary may withdraw his approval of any route or portion thereof on the Interstate System within any urbanized area in that State selected and approved in accordance with this title prior to the enactment of this paragraph, if he determines that such route or portion thereof is not essential to completion of a unified and connected Interstate System or will no longer be essential by reason of the application of this paragraph and will not be constructed as a part of the Interstate System, and if he receives assurances that the State does not intend to construct a toll road in the traffic corridor which would be served by such route or portion thereof. The mileage of the route or portion thereof approval of which is withdrawn under this paragraph shall be available for designation on the Interstate System in any other State in accordance with paragraph (1) of this subsection. After the Secretary has withdrawn his approval of any such route or portion thereof, whenever responsible local officials of such urbanized area notify the State highway department that, in lieu of a route or portion thereof approval for which is withdrawn under this paragraph, their needs require a nonhighway public mass transit project involving the construction of fixed rail facilities, or the purchase of passenger equipment, including rolling stock for any mode of mass transit, or both, and the State highway department determines that such public mass transit project is in accordance with the planning process under section 134 of this title and is entitled to priority under such planning process, such public mass transit project shall be submitted for approval to the Secretary. Approval of the plans, specifications, and estimates for such project by the Secretary shall be deemed a contractual obligation of the United States for payment out of the general funds in the Treasury of its proportional share of the cost of such project in an amount equal to the Federal share which would be paid for such a project under the Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964, except that the total Federal cost of all such projects under this paragraph with respect to such route or portion thereof approval of which is withdrawn under this paragraph, shall not exceed the Federal share of the cost which would have been paid for such route or portion thereof, as such cost is included in the 1972 Interstate System cost estimate set forth in table 5 of House Public Works Committee Print Numbered 92-29, as revised in House Report Numbered 92-1443. Funds apportioned to such State for the Interstate System, which apportionment is based upon an Interstate System cost estimate that includes a route or portion thereof approval of which is withdrawn under this paragraph, shall be reduced by an amount equal to the Federal share of such project as such share 76 Stat. 11483 84 Stat. 1737. 23 USC 134. 78 Stat. 302. 49 USC 1601 note. 87 STAT. 270 80 Stat. 403. 5 USC 1501. 78 Stat. 302. 49 USC 1601 note. 49 USC 1602. Evaluation. Report to Tax revenues, study. Appropriation. 84 Stat. 1736. becomes a contractual obligation of the United States. No general funds shall be obligated under authority of this paragraph after June 30, 1981. No nonhighway public mass transit project shall be approved under this paragraph unless the Secretary has received assurances satisfactory to him from the State that public mass transportation systems will fully utilize the proposed project. The provision of assistance under this paragraph shall not be construed as bringing within the application of chapter 15 of title 5, United States Code, any nonsupervisory employee of an urban mass transportation system (or of any other agency or entity performing related functions) to whom such chapter is otherwise inapplicable. Funds available for expenditure to carry out the purposes of this paragraph shall be supplementary to and not in substitution for funds authorized and available for obligation pursuant to the Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964, as amended. The provisions of section 3 (e) (4) of the Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964, as amended, shall apply in carrying out this paragraph." PUBLIC MASS TRANSPORTATION STUDIES SEC. 138. (a) The Secretary shall, in cooperation with the Governor of each State and appropriate local officials, make an evaluation of that portion of the 1972 National Transportation Report, pertaining to public mass transportation. Such evaluation shall include all urban areas. The evaluation shall include but not be limited to the following: (1) Refining the public mass transportation needs contained in such report. (2) Developing a program to accomplish the needs of each urban area for public mass transportation. (3) Analyzing the existing funding capabilities of Federal, State, and local governments for meeting such needs. (4) Analyzing other funding capabilities of Federal, State, and local governments for meeting such needs. (5) Determining the operating and maintenance costs relating to the public mass transportation system. (6) Determining and comparing fare structures of all public mass transportation systems. The Secretary shall, not later than July 1, 1974, report to Congress the results of this evaluation together with his recommendations for necessary legislation. (b) The Secretary shall conduct a study of revenue mechanisms, including a tax on fuels used in the provision of urban mass transportation service, and an additional gasoline tax imposed in urban areas, which could be used now or in the future to finance transportation activities receiving financial assistance from the Highway Trust Fund. Such study shall include an analysis of the magnitude of the various potential sources of user tax revenues, the rates at which such taxes could be levied (including possible differential rates), the mechanisms for collection of such taxes, the incidence of such taxes, and the potential impact on transit usage caused by such taxes. The Secretary shall report to the Congress the findings of his study by no later than the 180th day after the date of enactment of this section. (c) There is hereby auhorized not to exceed $10,000,000 to carry out this section. FERRY OPERATIONS SEC. 139. (a) The last subsection of section 129 of title 23, United States Code, is hereby redesignated as subsection (g). 87 STAT. 271 (b) Paragraph (5) of subsection (g) of section 129 of title 23, United States Code, as redesignated in subsection (a) of this section, Ante, p. 270. is amended to read as follows: "(5) Such ferry may be operated only within the State (including the islands which comprise the State of Hawaii) or between adjoining States. Except with respect to operations between the islands which comprise the State of Hawaii and operations between the States of Alaska and Washington, or between any two points within the State of Alaska, no part of such a ferry operation shall be in any foreign or international waters." METRO ACCESSIBILITY TO THE HANDICAPPED Payments to the Washington Area Transit SEC. 140. The Secretary of Transportation is authorized to make payments to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority in amounts sufficient to finance 80 per centum of the cost of providing Metropolitan such facilities for the subway and rapid rail transit system authorized in the National Capital Transportation Act of 1969 (83 Stat. 320) as may be necessary to make such subway and system accessible by the handicapped through implementation of Public Laws 90-480 and 91–205. There is authorized to be appropriated, to carry out this section, not to exceed $65,000,000. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENTS SEC. 141. (a) The Secretary of Transportation shall, not later than forty-five days after the date of enactment of this section, complete all necessary action on (1) the environmental impact statement pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, and (2) the application for approval under the General Bridge Act of 1946, with respect to the proposal for construction by the Department of Transportation of the State of New Jersey of a bridge over the Raritan River in such State for the purpose of such State's Highway Route 18. (b) The Secretary of Transportation shall(1) by October 1, 1973 (A) complete the draft environmental impact statement pursuant to section 102 (2) (C) of the National Environmental Policy Act and his determination under section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act and section 138 of title 23 of the United States Code, on the project for Interstate Route Numbered 66 in the State of Virginia from the National Capital Beltway to the Potomac River, which project is described in the 1972 estimate of the cost of completing the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways as estimate section termini E 10.4.2 at the Beltway to E 10.11.1 in Rosslyn, (B) circulate such statement to all interested Federal, State, and local agencies and to the public for comment within forty-five days, and (C) insure that notice of a public hearing on the design. and location of such project is issued; (2) insure that a public hearing is held within forty-five days after issuance of the notice pursuant to paragraph (1)(C) of this subsection; and (3) not later than December 31, 1973, complete consideration of the information received at the hearing, review any comments on the statement received within the forty-five-day notice period referred to in paragraph (1) (B) of this subsection and any other D.C. Code 1-1441 note. 82 Stat. 7188 84 Stat. 49. 42 USC 4151. 83 Stat. 853. 42 USC 4332.. 60 Stat. 847. 33 USC 525 note. 82 Stat. 824. 49 USC 1653. 82 Stat. 823. |