093_HB3061

 
                                     LRB093 07817 LCB 08006 b

 1        AN ACT concerning transportation.

 2        Be  it  enacted  by  the People of the State of Illinois,
 3    represented in the General Assembly:

 4        Section 5.  The  Illinois  Highway  Code  is  amended  by
 5    adding Section 4-219 as follows:

 6        (605 ILCS 5/4-129 new)
 7        Sec. 4-219.  Design criteria.
 8        (a)  It   is  the  intent  of  the  General  Assembly  to
 9    encourage  the  highest  quality  design   to   ensure   that
10    Department  of  Transportation  projects  adequately meet the
11    State's transportation needs, exist  in  harmony  with  their
12    surroundings,  and  add lasting value to the communities they
13    serve.
14        (b)  On or before December 31, 2004,  the  Department  of
15    Transportation  shall  establish  design  criteria for use in
16    developing   transportation   projects   that   involve   the
17    construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, or  resurfacing
18    of  a  highway, other than a maintenance resurfacing project.
19    The Department shall amend its existing  design  manuals  and
20    memoranda  to  incorporate the new design criteria.   The new
21    design  criteria  shall  take  into  account  the   following
22    factors:
23             (1)  safety, durability, and economy of maintenance;
24             (2)  the  constructed and natural environment of the
25        area;
26             (3)  the environmental, scenic, aesthetic, historic,
27        community, and preservation impacts of the project; and
28             (4)  access  for  other  modes  of   transportation,
29        including    those   that   promote   physically   active
30        communities.
31        (c)  In establishing the design criteria  required  under
 
                            -2-      LRB093 07817 LCB 08006 b
 1    subsection   (b)   of   this   Section,   the   Secretary  of
 2    Transportation shall solicit and consider the views of  chief
 3    elected   officials  and  organizations  including,  but  not
 4    limited to: those with expertise in environmental protection,
 5    historic preservation, scenic conservation, and  bicycle  and
 6    pedestrian  transportation,  as  well  as  directly  affected
 7    citizens'  groups,  regional  councils  of governments, rural
 8    development councils, the Center for Neighborhood Technology,
 9    the   Illinois   Arts   Council,    the    Federal    Highway
10    Administration,  and any other entities deemed appropriate by
11    the Secretary.
12        (d)  On or before December 31,  2004,  the  Secretary  of
13    Transportation  shall  submit to the Governor and the General
14    Assembly a report stating the new design criteria, the  names
15    of  the  officials and organizations contacted, and any other
16    information deemed pertinent by the Secretary.