Commercial Vehicle Highway Safety Measures

Section 1 of the act changes the geographic locations where the department of transportation (department) has authority to require certain traction-enhancing equipment for any commercial vehicle with a declared gross vehicle weight rating of 16,001 pounds or more from September 1 through May 31 of each year during any conditions that exist on the highway to the following corridors located on the western slope: Interstate highway 70 (I-70) west of milepost 259 (Morrison); Colorado state highway 9 from milepost 63 to milepost 97 (Frisco to Fairplay); U.S. Route 40 west of milepost 256 (Empire); U.S. Route 50 west of milepost 225 (Salida); U.S. Route 160 west of milepost 304 (Walsenburg); U.S. Route 285 west of milepost 250 (Morrison); and U.S. Route 550 from milepost 0 to 130. Section 2 allows the department to establish heightened speed limit enforcement zones (zone) within public highways in Glenwood Canyon on I-70 eastbound from milepost 116.0 to milepost 131.0 and westbound from milepost 118.5 to milepost 131.0 where there are safety concerns related to commercial motor vehicle drivers exceeding the posted speed limits. If the department establishes a zone, the department must erect signs identifying the zone and notifying commercial motor vehicle drivers that increased fines are assessed for speeding in the zone. Section 3 makes it a traffic offense for any commercial vehicle to be driving in the farthest left lane on I-70 between milepost 115.5 and milepost 131.0 (Glenwood Springs), between milepost 169.5 and milepost 173.0 (Dowd junction), between milepost 180.0 and milepost 190.5 (Vail pass), between milepost 205.5 and milepost 221.0 (Eisenhower-Johnson tunnel), between milepost 224.0 and milepost 228.5 (Georgetown hill), and between milepost 243.0 and milepost 247.0 (Floyd hill) during all conditions on that highway except to safely pass a vehicle driving under the posted speed limit. Section 4 subjects a commercial motor vehicle driver who commits a speeding violation in a zone to double fines and surcharges except when the driver of a commercial motor vehicle commits the violation within a highway maintenance, repair, or construction zone and is already subject to an increased penalty and surcharge. Section 5 ensures that a port of entry officer has all the powers of a peace officer when enforcing highway closures and the state's winter traction device law. Section 6 requires the freight mobility and safety branch of the department to study potential additional locations of chain-up and chain-down stations and to study what appropriate technology could be added to existing chain-up and chain-down stations to improve safety and mobility. The study must identify existing barriers to building new chain-up and chain-down stations and examine the economic and safety impacts of commercial motor vehicle incidents and closures during inclement weather events and examine commercial motor vehicle parking locations on I-70. Section 7 allows the study on feasibility of new chain-up and chain-down stations to be funded by the fuels impact reduction grant program. Section 8 appropriates $31,684 from the Colorado DRIVES vehicle services account in the highway users tax fund to the department of revenue for implementation of the act. APPROVED by Governor May 20, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)