BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Research Center H.B. 1044
Transportation & Homeland Security
AUTHOR'S/SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
Cedar Crossing Business Park in Chambers County is comprised of 12,000 acres of land set aside for business and industrial development. Cedar Crossing offers all utilities and is the hub for intermodal transportation. In addition to rail, highway, and barge service, the site is located only a short distance from the Port of Houston's Barbours Cut Terminal.
Cedar Crossing's job growth and investment potential is somewhat impeded by the restriction placed upon trucks moving container entering from or destined for overseas shipment. Because of shipping costs, overseas customers demand their containers be loaded to maximum capacity. However, any container moved by truck is restricted to the weight limit established by the Texas Department of Transportation.
H.B. 1044 designates a portion of two roadways within Cedar Crossing Business Park as "heavy haul roads" and raises the gross weight limit to 100,000 pounds per truck.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Subchapter Z, Chapter 622, Transportation Code, by addition Section 622.955, as follows:
Sec. 622.955. VEHICLE OPERATING ON CERTAIN STATE HIGHWAYS. (a) Provides that a permit is not required to exceed the weight limitations of Section 621.101 (Maximum Weight of Vehicle of Combination) by a vehicle or combination of vehicles with a gross weight of 100,000 pounds or less when the vehicle or vehicle combination is operated over parts of Farm-to-Market Road 1405 and the State Highway 99 frontage road located in Cedar Crossing Business Park in Chambers County.
(b) Provides that this section does not authorize the operation on the national system of interstate and defense highways in this state of vehicles with a weight greater than authorized by federal law.
SECTION 2. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2005.