Establishes Bridge Transportation Asset Management Plan Pilot Program; appropriates $9.5 million.

A1548 1R

[First Reprint]

ASSEMBLY, No. 1548

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman CLINTON CALABRESE

District 36 (Bergen and Passaic)

Assemblywoman� LINDA S. CARTER

District 22 (Somerset and Union)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblyman Sampson

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes Bridge Transportation Asset Management
Plan Pilot Program; appropriates $9.5 million.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As reported by the Assembly Transportation and
Independent Authorities Committee on May 7, 2026, with amendments.

��

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
]

including
1
, 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).��