A1548 1R

An Act establishing the Bridge Transportation Asset Management Plan Pilot Program and making an appropriation.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. As used in P.L. , c. (pending before the Legislature as this bill):

“Commissioner” means the Commissioner of Transportation.

“Department” means the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

“Module” means the “Bridge Infrastructure Innovation Module” established pursuant to subsection c. of section 2 of P.L. , c. (pending before the Legislature as this bill).

“Pilot program” means the “Bridge Transportation Asset Management Plan Pilot Program” established pursuant to section 2 of P.L. , c. (pending before the Legislature as this bill).

2. a. The Department of Transportation shall establish a five-year “Bridge Transportation Asset Management Plan Pilot Program.” The purpose of the pilot program shall be to inventory, assess, and make recommendations concerning the status of all bridges under the jurisdiction of the State or a county or municipality within the State.

b. The commissioner shall collaborate with State agencies; county and municipal engineers; the Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation at Rutgers, the State University; the New Jersey Institute of Technology; and the Stevens Institute of Technology to develop:

(1) a digital inventory of every bridge in the State under the jurisdiction of the State, a county, or a municipality;

(2) a bridge life-cycle risk scoring model to evaluate potential risks associated with each bridge;

(3) a climate vulnerability assessment for each bridge to determine how susceptible the bridge is to potential impacts from climate changes; and

(4) a public-facing performance dashboard accessible through the department’s Internet website.

c. (1) As part of the pilot program, the department shall establish the “Bridge Infrastructure Innovation Module” to test the use of artificial intelligence-powered data analysis and sensor-based condition monitoring on high-risk and high-traffic bridges, as determined by the department.

(2) The department shall coordinate with the Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation at Rutgers, the State University; the New Jersey Institute of Technology; and the Stevens Institute of Technology on research, artificial intelligence modeling, and predictive analytics and shall apply the findings of the module to the pilot program to enhance bridge life-cycle risk scoring models and assessment accuracy and emergency response planning.

d. The department shall seek federal matching funds to support the pilot program.

3. a. Within one year of the effective date of P.L. , c. (pending before the Legislature as this bill), and for three years thereafter ¹[until the end of the pilot program]¹, the department shall submit to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature ¹[,]¹ a report to provide an update on the implementation and performance of both the pilot program and the module. At a minimum, a report submitted pursuant to this subsection shall include:

(1) a summary of bridges inventoried, assessed, and evaluated;

(2) a progress update on the development and deployment of life-cycle risk scoring models, risk assessment tools, and the public-facing performance dashboard;

(3) data collected and analyzed through the module, including, but not limited to, sensor-based condition monitoring and artificial intelligence-powered data analytics;

(4) evaluation metrics, including, but not limited to, reductions in emergency repair costs, improvements in inspection efficiency, and safety alerts generated by the monitoring systems; and

(5) the amount of federal funding secured to support the pilot program, pursuant to subsection d. of section 2 of P.L. , c. (pending before the Legislature as this bill).

b. Five years after the effective date of P.L. , c. (pending before the Legislature as this bill), the department shall submit to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature ¹[,]¹ a final report on the pilot program. At a minimum, the report submitted pursuant to this subsection shall include:

(1) a cost-benefit analysis of the pilot program and the module;

(2) an evaluation of the effectiveness, reliability, and scalability ¹[,]¹ of artificial intelligence-powered bridge monitoring and life-cycle risk scoring models; and

(3) recommendations for the permanent adoption and Statewide expansion of the pilot program, which expansion shall include applying the pilot program to additional infrastructure categories, ¹[which shall include] including¹, but not be limited to, roads, major culverts, and critical stormwater tunnels.

4. The department shall adopt rules and regulations, pursuant to the “Administrative Procedure Act,” P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), as may be necessary to implement the provisions of P.L. , c. (pending before the Legislature as this bill).

5. There is appropriated $9,500,000 from the General Fund to the department to support both the pilot program and the module established pursuant to section 2 of P.L. , c. (pending before the Legislature as this bill) to be disbursed as follows:

a. $4,500,000 to the department to support the pilot program in acquiring inventory, tools, and software; assisting with staff training; and any other costs incurred by the pilot program that the department deems necessary; and

b. $5,000,000 to the department to support the module established pursuant to subsection c. of section 2 of P.L. , c. (pending before the Legislature as this bill) to fund artificial intelligence research and data integration and to acquire necessary sensors and monitoring hardware.

6. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire upon submission of the final report required pursuant to subsection b. of section 3 of P.L. , c. (pending before the Legislature as this bill).