,i  #aahth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #gdbi  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,february #bj1       
#bjbd,ms4 ,williams of ,georgia 7for    
herself and ,mr4 ,himes7 introduced the 
following bill2 which was referred to   
the ,committee on ,transportation and   
,infrastructure  ,a ,,bill  ,to amend   
the ,national ,highway ,system          
,designation ,act of #aiie to permit the
 construction of certain noise barriers 
with funds from the ,highway ,trust     
,fund1 and for other purposes4  #a4     
,short title ,this ,act may be cited as 
the ,negating ,neighborhood ,noise ,act 
of #bjbd4  #b4 ,permitting use of       
highway trust fund for construction of  
certain noise barriers ,section #cci7;b7
 of the ,national ,highway ,system      
,designation ,act of #aiie 7#bc         
,u4,s4,c4 #aji note7 is amended to read 
as follows3  7#a7 ,general rule ,no     
funds made available out of the ,highway
 ,trust ,fund may be used to construct a
 ,type ,,ii noise barrier 7as defined by

 section #ggb4e of title #bc1 ,code of  
,federal ,regulations7 pursuant to      
subsections 7h7 and 7i7 of section #aji 
of title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code4    
7#b7 ,exceptions ,paragraph 7#a7 shall  
not apply to construction or            
preservation of a ,type ,,ii noise      
barrier if such a barrier-- 7,a7 was not
 part of a project approved by the      
,secretary before ,november #bh1 #aiie2 
7,b7 is proposed along lands that were  
developed or were under substantial     
construction before approval of the     
acquisition of the rights-of-ways for1  
or construction of1 the existing        
highway2 or  7,c7 as determined and     
applied by the ,secretary1 separates a  
highway or other noise corridor from a  
group of structures of which the        
majority of such structures closest to  
the highway or noise corridor-- 7i7 are 
residential in nature2 and  7ii7 are at 
least #aj years old as of the date of   
the proposal of the barrier project4  4 
#c4 ,eligibility for surface            

transportation block grant funds        
,section #acc of title #bc1 ,united     
,states ,code1 is amended-- 7#a7 in     
subsection 7b7 by adding at the end the 
following3  7#be7 ,planning1 design1    
preservation1 or construction of a ,type
 ,,ii noise barrier 7as described in    
section #ggb4e of title #bc1 ,code of   
,federal ,regulations7 and consistent   
with the requirements of section        
#cci7;b7 of the ,national ,highway      
,system ,designation ,act of #aiie 7#bc 
,u4,s4,c4 #aji note74  2 and  7#b7 in   
subsection 7c77#b7 by striking and      
paragraph 7#bc7 and inserting 1         
paragraph 7#bc71 and paragraph 7#be74   
#d4 ,multipurpose noise barriers  7a7   
,in general ,the ,secretary of          
,transportation shall ensure that a     
noise barrier constructed or preserved  
under section #cci7;b7 of the ,national 
,highway ,system ,designation ,act of   
#aiie 7#bc ,u4,s4,c4 #aji note7 or with 
funds made available under title #bc1   
,united ,states ,code1 may be a         

multipurpose noise barrier4  7b7 ,state 
approval ,a ,state1 on behalf of the    
,secretary1 may approve accommodation of
 a secondary beneficial use on a noise  
barrier within a right-of-way on a      
,federal-aid highway4  7c7 ,definitions 
7#a7 ,multipurpose noise barrier ,the   
term multipurpose noise barrier means   
any noise barrier that provides a       
secondary beneficial use1 including a   
barrier that hosts or accommodates      
renewable energy generation facilities1 
electrical transmission and distribution
 infrastructure1 or broadband           
infrastructure and conduit4  7#b7       
,secondary beneficial use ,the term     
secondary beneficial use means an       
environmental1 economic1 or social      
benefit in addition to highway noise    
mitigation4  #e4 ,aesthetics ,a project 
sponsor constructing or preserving a    
noise barrier under section #cci7;b7 of 
the ,national ,highway ,system          
,designation ,act of #aiie 7#bc         
,u4,s4,c4 #aji note7 or with funds made 

available under title #bc1 ,united      
,states ,code1 shall consider the       
aesthetics of the proposed noise        
barrier1 consistent with the latest     
version of the ,noise ,barrier ,design  
,handbook published by the ,federal     
,highway ,administration of the         
,department of ,transportation4