2009 Iowa Code
Title 8 - Transportation
Subtitle 1 - Highways and Waterways
CHAPTER 307A - TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION
307A.2 - DUTIES.

        307A.2  DUTIES.
         Said commission shall:
         1.  Devise and adopt standard plans of highway construction and
      furnish the same to the counties and provide information to the
      counties on the maintenance practices and policies of the department.

         2.  Furnish information and instruction to, answer inquiries of,
      and advise with, highway officers on matters of highway construction
      and maintenance and the reasonable cost thereof.
         3.  Reserved.
         4.  Make surveys, plans, and estimates of cost, for the
      elimination of danger at railroad crossings on highways, and confer
      with local and railroad officials with reference to elimination of
      the danger.
         5.  Assist the board of supervisors and the department general
      counsel in the defense of suits wherein infringement of patents,
      relative to highway construction, is alleged.
         6.  Make surveys for the improvement of highways upon or adjacent
      to state property when requested by the board or department in
      control of said lands.
         7.  Record all important operations of said commission and, at the
      time provided by law, report the same to the governor.
         8.  Incur no expense to the state by sending out road lecturers.
         9.  Order the removal or alteration of any lights or
      light-reflecting devices, whether on public or private property,
      other than railroad signals or crossing lights, located adjacent to a
      primary road and within three hundred feet of a railroad crossing at
      grade, which in any way interfere with the vision of or may be
      confusing to a person operating a motor vehicle on such highway in
      observing the approach of trains or in observing signs erected for
      the purpose of giving warning of such railroad crossing.
         10.  Order the removal or alteration of any lights or
      light-reflecting devices, whether on public or private property,
      located adjacent to a primary road and within three hundred feet of
      an intersection with another primary road, which in any way interfere
      with the vision of or may be confusing to a person operating a motor
      vehicle on such highway in observing the approach of other vehicles
      or signs erected for the purpose of giving warning of such
      intersection.
         11.  Construct, reconstruct, improve, and maintain state
      institutional roads and state park roads, which are part of the state
      park, state institution, and other state land road system as defined
      in section 306.3, and bridges on such roads, roads located on state
      fairgrounds as defined in chapter 173, and the roads and bridges
      located on community college property as defined in chapter 260C,
      upon the request of the state board, department, or commission which
      has jurisdiction over such roads.  This shall be done in such manner
      as may be agreed upon by the state transportation commission and the
      state board, department, or commission which has jurisdiction.  The
      commission may contract with any county or municipality for the
      construction, reconstruction, improvement, or maintenance of such
      roads and bridges.  Any state park road which is an extension of
      either a primary or secondary highway which both enters and exits
      from a state park at separate points shall be constructed,
      reconstructed, improved, and maintained as provided in section 306.4.
      Funds allocated from the road use tax fund for the purposes of this
      subsection shall be apportioned in the following manner and amounts:
         a.  For department of natural resources facility roads,
      forty-five and one-half percent.
         b.  For department of human services facility roads, six and
      one-half percent.
         c.  For department of corrections facility roads, five and
      one-half percent.
         d.  For national guard facility roads, four percent.
         e.  For state board of regents facility roads, thirty percent.

         f.  For state fair board facility roads, two percent.
         g.  For department of administrative services facility roads,
      one-half percent.
         h.  For department of education facility roads, six percent.
         12.  Prepare, adopt, and cause to be published a long-range
      program for the primary road system, in conjunction with the state
      transportation plan adopted by the commission.  Such program shall be
      prepared for a period of at least five years and shall be revised,
      brought up-to-date, and republished at least once every year in order
      to have a continuing five-year program.  The program shall include,
      insofar as such estimates can be made, an estimate of the money
      expected to become available during the period covered by the program
      and a statement of the construction, maintenance, and other work
      planned to be performed during such period.  The commission shall
      conduct periodic reinspections of the primary roads in order to
      revise, from time to time, its estimates of future needs to conform
      to the physical and service conditions of the primary roads.  The
      commission shall annually cause to be published a sufficiency rating
      report showing the relative conditions of the primary roads.  Before
      the last day of December of each year, the commission shall adopt and
      cause to be published from its long-range program, a plan of
      improvements to be accomplished during the next calendar year.
      However, in years when the federal government is reauthorizing
      federal highway funding, the commission shall not be required to
      adopt and publish the annual plan of improvements to be accomplished
      until at least ninety days from the enactment of the new federal
      funding formula.  This annual program shall list definite projects in
      order of urgency and shall include a reasonable year's work with the
      funds estimated to be available.  The annual program shall be final
      and followed by the commission in the next year except that
      deviations may be made in case of disaster or other unforeseen
      emergencies or difficulties.  The relative urgency of the proposed
      improvements shall be determined by a consideration of the physical
      condition, safety, and service characteristics of the various primary
      roads.
         13.  The criteria used by the commission for allocating funds as a
      result of any long-range planning process shall be adopted in
      accordance with the provisions of chapter 17A.  The commission shall
      adopt such rules and regulations in accordance with the provisions of
      chapter 17A as it may deem necessary to transact its business and for
      the administration and exercise of its powers and duties.
         14.  Identify, within the primary road system, a network of
      commercial and industrial highways in accordance with section 313.2A.
      The improvement of this network shall be considered in the
      development of the long-range program and plan of improvements under
      this section.  

         Section History: Early Form

         [C97, § 1532; S13, § 1532; SS15, § 1527-s1, -s2; C24, 27, 31, 35,
      39, § 4626, 4631, 4632, 4633; C46, 50, 54, 58, § 307.5, 308.1,
      308.3, 308.4; C62, 66, 71, 73, § 307.5; C75, 77, 79, 81, § 307A.2] 

         Section History: Recent Form

         84 Acts, ch 1043, § 1; 86 Acts, ch 1245, § 1926; 88 Acts, ch 1019,
      § 1; 89 Acts, ch 134, § 4; 90 Acts, ch 1253, § 120; 92 Acts, ch 1100,
      § 2; 96 Acts, ch 1064, § 1; 96 Acts, ch 1126, § 2; 98 Acts, ch 1075,
      §7; 2002 Acts, ch 1063, §7, 8, 16; 2005 Acts, ch 20, §3
         Referred to in § 173.16, 312.2, 312.4, 313.4
         See also § 307.10
         Time of filing report and period covered, § 7A.9