HB 257

1
A bill to be entitled
2An act relating to motor vehicle safety; requiring limited
3access facilities that are adjacent to a canal or other
4water body to have a system of guardrails, retention
5cables, or other barriers between the highway and the
6canal or water body; requiring the Department of
7Transportation to establish certain standards governing
8the installation and maintenance of the barriers;
9requiring that barriers be installed for existing highways
10by a specified date; providing an effective date.
11
12Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
13
14     Section 1.  Barrier required between a highway and a canal
15or a water body.--
16     (1)  Each limited access facility in an area that has a
17high volume of canals or narrow roadways that are adjacent to
18bodies of water must have a system of guardrails, retention
19cables, or other barriers between the highway and the canal or
20water body which are installed and maintained in conformance
21with standards established by the Department of Transportation.
22The standards should be designed to limit the loss of life by
23safely preventing out-of-control motor vehicles from entering
24the canal or water body, and may include criteria, such as the
25width or depth of the canal or water body or its proximity to
26the traveled way of the highway, in specifying where barriers
27are required.
28     (2)  For a limited access facility in existence on July 1,
292009, the barriers required under this section must be installed
30on or before December 31, 2012.
31     Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2009.


CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.