BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center                                                                                                 C.S.S.B. 735

                                                                                                                                            By: Hegar

Transportation & Homeland Security

4/2/2007

Committee Report (Substituted)

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

Under current law, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is authorized to convert frontage roads from two-way movement of traffic to one-way movement of traffic regardless of whether a frontage road exists on the opposite side of the highway even if the local commissioners court objects to such a conversion.  Such a conversion can result in significant forced diversions.

C.S.S.B. 735 authorizes commissioners courts or city councils (if the frontage road is wholly or partially contained within the city limits) to prevent the conversion of a frontage road from two-way movement of traffic to one-way movement of traffic if no frontage road exists on the opposite side of the highway by adopting a motion or order objecting to the conversion and filing it with the district engineer for the applicable TxDOT district.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Subchapter C, Chapter 203, Transportation Code, by adding Section 203.035, as follows:

Sec. 203.035.  CONVERSION OF TWO-WAY FRONTAGE ROAD TO ONE-WAY FRONTAGE ROAD.  Authorizes the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to convert a frontage road that provides for two-way movement of traffic to a frontage road that provides for one-way movement of traffic unless there is no corresponding frontage road on the opposite side of the main-traveled lanes of the controlled access highway associated with the frontage road for the circulation of traffic and, before the conversion is completed, a motion or order objecting to the conversion is adopted and filed with the district engineer for the applicable TxDOT district by the commissioners court of the county in which the frontage road is located or, if the frontage road or the portion of the frontage road being converted is wholly contained within the incorporated limits of a city, by the city council or governing body of the city in which the frontage road or the portion of the frontage road is located.

SECTION 2.  Effective date:  upon passage or September 1, 2007.