| TO: | Honorable Mike Krusee, Chair, House Committee on Transportation |
| FROM: | John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | SB1763 by Ogden (Relating to vehicle weights.), As Engrossed |
The bill would amend the Transportation Code to clarify that route restrictions currently in place for
bridges with posted maximum weight limits also apply to county roads where maximum weight limits
are posted by a county commissioners court. The bill includes a stipulation that the holder of a permit
issued under Section 623.011 must provide to the office of the county sheriff a minimum 2-hour notice of a needed access prior to crossing a load zoned bridge that provides the only vehicular access to or from the permit holder's origin or destination when the weight of the vehicle and load is greater than the posted limits. The bill would both include and exempt county roads from the restrictions for
reasons and conditions specified in the bill, and would require the restrictions for a county road
established prior to September 1, 2001, to be subject to the load limits established by the
commissioners court of a county with the concurrence of the Department of Transportation (TxDOT).
Restrictions set forth in the bill would not take effect until after each county submits to TxDOT the maximum weight limit of the county roads within the county's boundaries, and after TxDOT adds the county roads to the database reflected in the Roadway Information and Load Restricted Bridge Map.
It is assumed that TxDOT duties and responsibilities associated with implementing the provisions of the bill could be accomplished by utilizing existing resources. The bill would take effect immediately if it receives a two-thirds vote in each house; otherwise, it would take effect September 1, 2003.
It is assumed each county has a record of its county bridges and the weight limits for each; therefore, costs for submitting that information to the Department of Transportation would be for administrative expenses only. In order to develop weight limits for county roads for reporting to TxDOT, the counties would incur the costs of an engineering analysis, which is approximately $1,600 per analysis. TxDOT anticipates there would be 11,720 analyses required statewide, for a total cumulative cost to counties of $18,752,200.
TxDOT estimates that county roads and bridges would experience damage until all aspects of the bill are implemented, at a cost to the counties of $2,000 per lane mile. It is assumed that not all county roads and bridges exist on a route that would result in overweight vehicles using them; therefore, the roads and bridges damaged would be limited.
The total fiscal impact to each county would vary depending on the number of county roads and bridges that would be affected per county, the extent of needed repairs, and the number of engineer analyses required.
| Source Agencies: |
| LBB Staff: | JK, RR, DLBa
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