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