§ 27-65-147 — Additional reporting before each regular session and each fiscal session - Definitions

(a) As used in this section: (1) "Congested route" means a street or highway that is part of the state highway system and is: (A) A rural two-lane street or highway with an average daily traffic count of nine thousand (9,000) or more vehicles each day; (B) An urban two-lane street or highway with an average daily traffic count of thirteen thousand (13,000) or more vehicles each day; (C) A four-lane street or highway with an average daily traffic count of fifty thousand (50,000) or more vehicles each day; or (D) A six-lane street or highway with an average daily traffic count of eighty thousand (80,000) or more vehicles each day; (2) "Discretionary funds" means funds available for use by the State Highway Commission or the Arkansas Department of Transportation that are not: (A) Designated for a specific use under law; (B) Required by law or by contract to be used for debt service; or (C) Required by law or by contract to be used as a source for matching funds; and (3) "Peak usage time" means the time of day during the week that the majority of people use streets and highways to travel to and from work or school, or both. (b) Upon the convening of the General Assembly at each regular session and each fiscal session, the Director of State Highways and Transportation shall provide the following information in report form to all members of the General Assembly: (1) The location of the ten (10) most congested routes in urban areas; (2) The location of the ten (10) most congested routes in rural areas; (3) For each county in the state, the five (5) locations that have the highest number of vehicle accidents and the five (5) locations that have the highest number of fatal vehicle accidents; (4) The expenditure per person of state and federal highway funds, including without limitation discretionary funds, in each congressional district over the preceding ten (10) years; (5) The number of miles of the state highway system that are in each congressional district; and (6) The expenditures made per congressional district of state and federal highway funds, including without limitation discretionary funds, for the preservation of the state highway system. (c) (1) The Director of State Highways and Transportation shall request that the United States Congress amend 23 U.S.C. § 127 concerning the vehicle weight limitations on the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways to include the following language: (x) " Certain Logging Vehicles in the State of Arkansas. (1) In General. The United States Secretary of Transportation shall waive, with respect to a covered logging vehicle, the application of any vehicle weight limit established under this section. (2) Covered logging vehicle defined. In this subsection, the term "covered logging vehicle" means a vehicle that- (A) is transporting unprocessed forest products; (B) has a gross vehicle weight of not more than 85,000 pounds; (C) has not less than 5 axles; (D) is operating on a segment of the Interstate Highway System in the State of Arkansas that is no more than 20 miles long; and (E) has received a permit to operate on the segment of the Interstate Highway System in the State of Arkansas from the Arkansas Highway Police Division of the Arkansas Department of Transportation." (2) (A) This subsection shall expire on the date the United States Congress amends 23 U.S.C. § 127 to include the language requested under subdivision (c)(1) of this section. (B) The Director of State Highways and Transportation shall notify the Bureau of Legislative Research and the Director of the Bureau of Legislative Research of the occurrence of congressional action that would cause the expiration of this subsection.

Legislative History

Amended by Act 2023, No. 711,§ 1, eff. 8/1/2023. Added by Act 2019, No. 789,§ 1, eff. 7/24/2019.