2007 California Streets and Highways Code Article 4. General Powers And Duties Of The Department Of Transportation

CA Codes (shc:30150-30162)

30150.  The department shall have full charge of the acquisition and
construction of all toll bridges and other toll highway crossings,
transportation facilities, and additional transportation facilities
authorized by the commission, the operation and maintenance thereof,
and the collection of tolls thereon.  The director shall proceed with
the construction of the toll bridges and other highway crossings,
transportation facilities, and additional transportation facilities
immediately upon funds for such work being made available, and shall
prosecute the work to completion as rapidly as possible.



30150.2.  Notwithstanding any other provision of law, not later than
60 days after the effective date of this section, tolls on
state-owned toll bridges shall be based on the number of axles on a
vehicle or the total number of axles on a vehicle plus the total
number of axles on a drawn trailer or vehicle.



30150.5.  The department, at the time it submits any request, or
develops and submits any program, to the California Transportation
Commission for capital expenditure or improvement on any toll bridge
under the jurisdiction of the California Transportation Commission
and located within the region under the jurisdiction of the
Metropolitan Transportation Commission, shall transmit a copy of the
request or program, as the case may be, to the Metropolitan
Transportation Commission, which shall review the request or program
and transmit its findings and recommendations thereon to the
department and the California Transportation Commission for
consideration.



30150.7.  Whenever the department offers for sale to the public
coupons or commuter ticket books redeemable for the toll on any toll
bridge located within the region under the jurisdiction of the
Metropolitan Transportation Commission, as specified in Section 66502
of the Government Code, the department shall make the coupons or
commuter ticket books available at locations convenient to the
public, which shall not be limited to toll bridge facilities, and by
mail.


30151.  No part of any additional transportation facilities
authorized, however, shall be constructed or operated by the
commission, or by any person or public or private corporation, within
any county or city, unless and until the route thereof within the
county or city has been approved by the board of supervisors, city
council, or other legislative body thereof, as the case may be,
notwithstanding any other provision in this chapter.



30152.  The department, through its own engineers or through such
other engineers or experts as it may employ, shall design all
bridges, transportation facilities, and additional transportation
facilities to be built pursuant to this chapter, and may build them
or any portions of them either by its own employees or by contract
with any person.  The cost of any or all such bridges, transportation
facilities, and additional transportation facilities shall be paid
from the proceeds of bonds issued and sold pursuant to this chapter,
or from contributions or appropriations from other sources as
provided in this chapter.


30153.  All such bridges, transportation facilities, and additional
transportation facilities or portion thereof shall be built by the
department in accordance with The State Contract Act insofar as the
provisions of that act are applicable, except that the amount of the
cash, bidders' bonds, or certified checks required to accompany any
bid submitted, when bids relating to the construction of any bridge
or highway crossing, transportation facilities, or additional
transportation facilities are called for, shall be fixed and
determined by the department.



30154.  The department shall require of each contractor such bonds
for the faithful performance of any contract or subcontract entered
into pursuant to this chapter and for the payment for any labor,
materials, or supplies used in, upon, for or about the performance of
the work contracted to be done, fixing such terms and conditions,
and in such amounts, as it deems to be for the best interests of the
State.  Money realized on any such bonds shall be paid into the
acquisition and construction fund of the particular toll bridge or
other highway crossing involved.



30155.  The commission may authorize the department to acquire or
construct tubes, tunnels, subways, underpasses, or overpasses either
in connection with bridges or as separate highway crossings whenever
the department deems such acquisition or construction advisable.  All
of the provisions of this chapter shall be fully applicable to the
tubes, tunnels, subways, underpasses, or overpasses, the acquisition
and construction of which is so authorized, and they shall be
included within the word "bridge."



30156.  The department may designate and adopt as a state highway
any county road or portion thereof connecting a state highway with a
publicly owned bridge or publicly owned toll bridge.



30157.  The commission and the department shall keep full, complete,
and separate accounts of each toll bridge or other crossing, and
annually shall prepare balance sheets and income and profit and loss
statements showing the financial condition of each toll bridge or
other highway crossing.  The statements shall be open to the
inspection of holders of bonds issued by the commission at all
reasonable times.



30158.  The department may issue permits for the use of any toll
bridge or other toll highway crossing acquired or constructed
pursuant to this chapter on a credit basis.  Except in the case of
municipal or other public corporations, governmental agencies, or
common carriers having contracts directly with the commission for the
operation of the transportation facilities of the bridge or
crossing, and except as provided in Section 30161.5, the department
shall require the holder of a permit for the use of any toll bridge
or other toll highway crossing on a credit basis to furnish and
maintain in force a bond executed by an admitted surety insurer,
approved by the department, in an amount equal to twice the
department's estimate of the toll charges to be incurred under the
permit during one month.



30159.  The department may revoke any permit granted for failure of
the holder to comply with its terms.



30160.  The department may also require the holder of any such
permit to pay a fee of not to exceed seven dollars () a month and,
in addition thereto, such other fee for each individual credit
transaction which, when combined with the monthly fee, will cover the
estimated printing and other overhead expense, the proceeds thereof
to be deposited in the fund from which such expenses are paid.



30161.  When necessary to facilitate movement of traffic, the
department may limit the use of any toll bridge or other toll highway
crossing on a credit basis to particular classes of vehicles.



30161.5.  (a) For any bridge at which an automatic vehicle
identification system, as described in this section, has been
installed and is in operation, the department may waive the
requirement that the holder of a credit permit furnish and maintain a
surety bond.  The automatic vehicle identification system shall have
the capability of identifying each vehicle operating under the
permit and of tabulating the number of bridge crossings by those
vehicles.  This section does not affect the authority of the
department under Section 30796.8.
   (b) The department shall notify the Legislature of the date upon
which it commences operation of the system described in subdivision
(a) on any bridge other than the bridge described in Section 30796.
   (c) This section shall become inoperative five years from the date
specified by the department pursuant to subdivision (b), and as of
January 1 next following that date is repealed, unless a later
enacted statute, which becomes effective on or before that January 1,
deletes or extends that date.
   (d) Nine months prior to the end of the five-year period specified
in subdivision (c), the department shall submit a report to the
Legislature on the implementation of subdivision (a).  The report
shall include an analysis of credit delinquencies encountered in
operating the system and the administrative costs incurred in debt
collection.



30162.  If the department is unable to collect any tolls due to
insolvency of the obligor, or if the cost of collection of any tolls
would be excessive by reason of the smallness of the amount due, the
department may apply to the California Victim Compensation and
Government Claims Board for discharge from accountability for the
collection thereof in the manner provided in Sections 13940 to 13943,
inclusive, of the Government Code.