Bill Text: TX SB215 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to the authority of a district engineer for the Texas Department of Transportation to temporarily lower speed limits.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-03-06 - Left pending in committee [SB215 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-SB215-Introduced.html
| 86R3003 JAM-F | ||
| By: Seliger | S.B. No. 215 | |
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| relating to the authority of a district engineer for the Texas | ||
| Department of Transportation to temporarily lower speed limits. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Subchapter H, Chapter 545, Transportation Code, | ||
| is amended by adding Section 545.3531 to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 545.3531. AUTHORITY OF DISTRICT ENGINEERS TO | ||
| TEMPORARILY LOWER SPEED LIMITS. (a) In this section, "hazard" | ||
| means: | ||
| (1) wet or inclement weather, as defined by Section | ||
| 545.353; | ||
| (2) construction or maintenance activity; or | ||
| (3) any other hazardous condition. | ||
| (b) A district engineer may temporarily lower a prima facie | ||
| speed limit for a highway or part of a highway in a district if the | ||
| district engineer determines that the prima facie speed limit for | ||
| the highway or part of highway is unreasonable or unsafe because of | ||
| a hazard. | ||
| (c) A district engineer may temporarily lower a prima facie | ||
| speed limit under this section without the approval of or | ||
| permission from the Texas Transportation Commission. | ||
| (d) A temporary speed limit established under this section: | ||
| (1) is a prima facie prudent and reasonable speed | ||
| limit enforceable in the same manner as other prima facie speed | ||
| limits established under other provisions of this subchapter; and | ||
| (2) supersedes any other established speed limit that | ||
| would permit a person to operate a motor vehicle at a higher rate of | ||
| speed. | ||
| (e) A district engineer who temporarily lowers a speed limit | ||
| shall: | ||
| (1) place and maintain at the hazard site temporary | ||
| speed limit signs that conform to the manual and specifications | ||
| adopted under Section 544.001; | ||
| (2) temporarily conceal all other signs on the highway | ||
| or part of a highway affected by the hazard that give notice of a | ||
| speed limit that would permit a person to operate a motor vehicle at | ||
| a higher rate of speed; and | ||
| (3) remove all temporary speed limit signs placed | ||
| under Subdivision (1) and concealments of other signs placed under | ||
| Subdivision (2) when: | ||
| (A) the district engineer finds that there is no | ||
| longer a hazard and all equipment is removed from the hazard site; | ||
| or | ||
| (B) the temporary speed limit expires under | ||
| Subsection (g). | ||
| (f) A temporary speed limit established under this section | ||
| is effective when the district engineer, as required under | ||
| Subsection (e), places temporary speed limit signs and conceals | ||
| other signs that would permit a person to operate a motor vehicle at | ||
| a higher rate of speed. | ||
| (g) A temporary speed limit established under this section | ||
| is effective until the earlier of: | ||
| (1) the 30th day after the date the limit becomes | ||
| effective; or | ||
| (2) the next meeting of the Texas Transportation | ||
| Commission. | ||
| SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019. | ||
